


Running Bear

by Cat (ActualBuckyBarnes)



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: 0 to 100 real quick, Action/Adventure, Actually Gets Pretty Dark So, Angst, Chaptered, Drinking, F/F, Fluff, Friendship, Government Douchebags, Humor, I Feel Like Shane Dawson Should Be His Own Warning, Look I tried, M/M, More tags to be added, No Further Spoilers, Phil Lester Is A Ray Of Sunshine, Some Death So Be Warned, Songfic, Warning: Contains Shane Dawson, powers, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-03
Updated: 2016-12-13
Packaged: 2018-06-06 06:08:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 21,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6742159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ActualBuckyBarnes/pseuds/Cat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tyler slipping Troye the beer might have been his first mistake. And, of course, it would have been Tyler. Because Tyler doesn't make good decisions when he's drunk.</p><p>Neither does Dan. After three drinks, doing a round of shots with Phil seemed like a splendid idea.</p><p>They all knew it was an awful decision when Troye fell to the floor, out cold.</p><p>"Lightweight," Drunk Tyler scoffed, downing another sip of alcohol.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Drink The Kool-Aid

Dan and Phil were getting packed for Vidcon.

"Hey, where's my straightener?" Dan called.

"I think I've packed it in my suitcase!" Phil yelled back.

"You _think_?" Dan clarified, finding the straightener in his bathroom and chuckling slightly.

"Uh- let me check!" Phil yelled.

"No- Phil-" Dan broke down, laughing like a hyena, "I found it!"

"Dan," Phil whined, "I just unpacked everything!" Dan sighed. Sometimes living with Phil was amazing- no pun intended- and fun, and sometimes Phil made Dan want to smack his face into the wall.

"I'll help in a bit," Luckily, the straightener was the last thing Dan needed to pack. He threw the straightener in next to his pants and zipped his suitcase shut. He made his way down the hall to Phil, finding his roommate bent over his own suitcase and shoving everything in without regard to folding or placement.

"Hang on," Dan said, letting his OCD take the driver's seat. He folded all of Phil's clothes for him and organized everything. Phil just sat there, glaring at him for getting him into this mess in the first place.

"Thanks," Phil grumbled, "Let's go." Dan grinned cheekily and rolled his and Phil's suitcase out the room.

The taxi ride was okay, and their driver wonderfully polite and professional. The airport itself was wonderful and the people were lovely and professional and all the things that you would expect people at an airport to be (they even met a few fans, who were lovely and not at all professional). It was on the plane where they had issues.

First of all, their airplane's seating was very... odd. Four seats sat around a table in the left row, and six in the middle and right rows.

Needless to say, the other two people sat next to Dan and Phil were pretty insane. Dan blamed Phil and still does to this day. And, of course, they were homophobic and thought Dan and Phil were a couple. Because, annoyingly enough, everyone seems to think that about them.

"Well, who are you boys?" The lady asked, proudly displaying her southern American accent.

"I'm Dan, and this is Phil." Dan said, "We're YouTubers."

"What's that?" The lady asked.

"Isn't YouTube-" The male who sat next to the lady pronounced it 'YouTub', "The place where you get all those neat knitting ideas?"

"Urm," Dan said. Trying to explain vlogging and comedy sketches to people who didn't know what they are is hard.

"We make mini-movies," Phil supplied, "And sometimes we let people in on our lives by videoing it."

"Oh," The woman said, "So... what's your relationship?"

"We're flatmates," Phil grinned.

"Oh, now," The man said in a warning tone, "You two know what happens to... people like you... y'know... _gays_." He hissed the last bit under his breath, as if saying the word itself could get you sent to Hell.

"We're not together," Dan said, narrowing his eyes, "But, I _do_ know someone who would probably like to have a word with you." Even though he wasn't in a relationship with his best friend- unless you count the fact that they were best friends- Dan really didn't like homophobia. It was one of those things that dug under his skin and made him pissed (like when Phil eats his cereal). And he really had thought of someone who'd like to have a word with this elderly couple- namely, Tyler Oakley, Troye Sivan, Joey Graceffa, and every single other YouTuber ever. Except maybe one or two, but we don't like them.

"Oh!" The woman spoke, "We didn't mean to assume. Do you have girlfriends, then?"

"Uh-" Dan and Phil both blushed, realizing that they didn't go outside nearly enough to actually get a girlfriend.

"Do we need to talk about lying as well, young man?" The male raised an eyebrow at them. Now Dan was really pissed. First of all, they made assumptions about his relationship status and sexual orientation. Second, they think they have the right to lecture him about _lying_ , something Phil almost never did (except when he was eating Dan's cereal). Dan thought of something that would certainly cause the couple to move away.

"You know what?" Dan sighed, "We are a couple." He grabbed Phil's face and kissed him on the lips, which felt so much better than it should have. The elderly couple switched seats with a brief 'We'll be praying for you,' and a small rant about how homosexuality was a disease.

"That was a nightmare," Phil said, flipping through a magazine. He had, with that creepy sense of almost always knowing what Dan was thinking, known that he just really wanted the elderly couple to leave them alone. Also, that kiss wasn't half-bad, if a little forced and rough.

"Tell me about it," Dan rolled his eyes scrolling through his phone's Spotify playlist and playing _New Born_ , by Muse, because he really liked the song. The air hostess came by and asked if they wanted anything to drink, and Phil gratefully accepted the water, Dan turning down the offer. The hours to America passed uneventfully- other than the homophobic old people- and was generally spent in silence between the two.

"Hello, it's your Captain speaking," The Captain said, "I would like to inform you that we are landing shortly, and I would like to remind you to turn off all electronics and put up your trays."

"No more Muse?" Dan groaned dramatically, stretching. He may or may not have fallen asleep. Phil sighed, to which Dan did what the Captain directed him to, putting up his phone and his tray.

"Vidcon is going to be interesting this year," Phil looked at the invitation, with a list of some of the bigger YouTubers that would be attending.

"How so?" Dan asked.

"Well, a lot of the people we know will be there," Phil said, "Tyler, Caspar, Joe, Alfie and Zoe, and a whole bunch of others, look!" He gave the pamphlet to Dan, who noted that, yes, a lot of their friends would be there.

The actual list was composed of quite a few individuals; Troye Sivan, Tyler Oakley, Joe Sugg, Alfie Deyes, Zoe Sugg, Caspar Lee, Mark Fischbach, Shane Dawson, Joey Graceffa, Chris, and Pj, to name a few.

"You think someone's going to throw a party this year?" Dan asked.

"Tyler's probably going to," Phil commented, "It's his birthday during Vidcon, remember?"

"Right," Dan nodded. The plane jolted a little as it landed, and Dan's ears popped.

"Now for the tedious bit," Dan sighed wearily. It had been a long flight.

.o0o.

After getting their bags, they checked in at the hotel.

"You'll be staying in Room 2112," The woman who sat behind the desk said, "If you want, we could upgrade you to a single king-sized bed-"

"No, no," Dan assured her, "We'll be fine. We're not a couple."

"Oh!" She apologized, "I'm sorry for assuming. Here," She handed them the key card to their room, "Have a nice stay!" Dan and Phil left for their room and dropped everything off before heading to the convention.

.o0o.

Getting sidetracked was way too easy for them. They pretty much inadvertently gave up on the first day of the convention and went sight-seeing. It had been a rather random decision to hold Vidcon in St. Louis this year, although it probably had something to do with the droughts in California.

"Well, we've got..." Phil looked at the rack of pamphlets, "Ooh! Six Flags!"

"Sounds fun," Dan smiled. The two grabbed sunglasses and sunscreen (what? It was hot and they were easily sunburnt- and we don't want a replica of the Skin Fic here.) and headed to the theme park.

So much funnel cake and three pictures with Buggs Bunny later, Dan and Phil were _exhausted_.

"Tyler's invited us to his party tonight," Phil remarked, yawning.

"Screw it," Dan murmured sleepily, "We can enjoy the party. It's just for a few hours, right?"

"I guess," Phil said, the Uber pulling into the hotel.

"Thanks," Phil said to the Uber driver, paying the money and hopping out next to Dan.

"You're not usually the one to go to parties," Phil commented while they were getting changed (not in the same room, Dan took the bathroom and Phil the bedroom).

"I know," Dan sighed, "But Tyler's our friend. So, according to social convention, we have to go to the fucking party and have a good fucking time, because it's his birthday."

"You don't sound too excited," Phil pointed out.

"I'm tired," Dan replied, "I don't think I've got much more 'people skills' left for today."

"We'll only stay a little bit," Phil promised.

.o0o.

 _We'll only stay a little bit, Phil said,_ Dan thought bitterly, _It'll be fun, Phil said._

They had been there for over three hours. Dan, as per usual, had not touched any alcohol. He really didn't like getting drunk too often, maybe a glass of wine (or ten, if he was doing an Internet Support Group video) or a bottle of beer while playing Mario Kart with Phil.

"C'mon, Dan!" Louise said playfully, "Drink a little!"

Damn peer pressure.

Dan took a swig of the beer, the taste surprisingly light.

"This is good," Dan nodded.

"See?" Louise said, rolling her eyes, "I told you!"

This would spiral downhill very quickly.

See, the thing about alcohol is, once you drink one beer, it seems like even more of a good idea to drink another. And after that, it seems like _even more_ of a good idea to drink just one more. Of course, as with anything, 'one more' tends to be about three or five.

In another thirty minutes, Dan thought it would be a _peachy_ idea to do a shot race with Phil.

Well, if it was any consolation, Dan won the shot race.

Tyler didn't make too good of a decision either when completely hammered. So, it only seemed natural to give the nineteen year old a beer even though he was below the drinking age in the US.

The rest of the night went by in a blur. There was definitely dancing. And Jon Cozart and Troye sang a duet. Dan remembered bits and pieces. Connor Franta had been dared to do a strip tease- on behalf of Smosh, who thought it was hilarious. Markiplier sat there after about... well, a lot of booze, crying "I coulda been an engineer!"

So, that answered what kind of drunk Mark was.

So many people took their shirts off it was ridiculous- Dan even thought he saw Hannah strip before leading Ingrid into the closet. Dan remembered a lot of lights, too many to be good for you, but nobody seemed to care, they were having too much fun.

"Hey, Dan," Phil groaned, face looking a bit green, "I don't feel so good."

"Bet you're regretting those shots now, huh?" Dan slurred, feeling the room spin a bit and his stomach gurgle too.

There was a certain point when everybody passed out. Frist went Troye, the lightweight. Then there was a blur of bad decisions and _more_ alcohol, and Dan and Phil pretty much called it quits on the kitchen floor, Dan drooling a bit.

Dan had never slept better.

Unfortunately, when you sleep, you have to wake up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter! Hopefully the plot will pick itself up and I will write longer ones!


	2. Wake Me Up When It's All Over

The first thing Dan noticed was a pounding headache.

Great.

This is why he doesn't get black-out drunk often.

Then, he noticed that he couldn't move. Couldn't speak, either. He could hear the beeping of machines and the whirring of air conditioning. He couldn't see, and he felt a blind on his face. He then started panicking. He struggled against the bonds and tried to scream, the gag muffling it.

How did he get into this situation?

"I see you're awake," A smooth, female voice said. Dan sent a quick mental _fuck you_ her way and continued to struggle.

"You are in Area 51 in New Mexico." 

"Screaming will not do you any good," The voice removed the blind covering Dan's eyes. She had straight brown hair and brown eyes, and was rather pretty. Dan calmed down a bit. He could get out of here, right? Just as long as Phil was okay.

"Your name is Daniel James Howell, correct?" Dan nodded and she crossed his name off of a list.

"You were given certain... abilities." The girl said, as if reading from a card.

She didn't mean... did she?

"These abilities could be dangerous to the public if you do not learn to master them," Her voice sounded like cool water, "So you will not be allowed out until you have mastered them."

Oh, well if that was all-

"You will also not be allowed to see your friends." Her voice turned sour, "You will earn privileges. Do not attempt to escape, or your friends will pay. Do as we say, and you will all be okay. Do you understand me?"

Dan nodded his head, suddenly terrified. Phil's safety- Phil's _life_ \- was on the line here, as was everyone else's. Dan wasn't going to step a toe out of line.

"I am going to remove the gag. Do not scream. Do not attack me. Remain silent and we will proceed from there." She removed the gag from Dan's mouth, and his jaw ached. Dan's headache had been all but forgotten.

"I will remove the bonds on your hands, feet and waist. You will not move until I say to move. We can and will subdue you." Dan's heart beat in his chest. He was usually afraid of the dark- the room was very dim and the corridor even more so- but the dark felt somehow different.

"You will stand up and walk calmly," She put emphasis on _walk_ and _calmly_. Dan stretched himself out and sat up. He was still wearing all his clothes. He followed the woman and several heavily armed guards out of the room, which looked scarily like a torture chamber.

He walked for a long time. At some point, he passed Troye Sivan.

Troye looked so young. The gag hadn't been removed from his mouth and his hands were still chained together.

Dan was grateful he hadn't screamed.

.o0o.

Dan's room was tiny and desolate. It had a cot in the corner, a small screen on the wall, and a toilet and sink combination opposite to the cot. The walls were blank, except for a mirror that hung above the toilet.

Dan missed his apartment. He missed YouTube. He missed Phil most of all, though. Just that human company, the reassurance of another human being that cared that he was alive and well, one that would always be there with him.

"Can I get some food?" Dan asked no one in particular. His stomach gave another half-hearted growl.

As usual, nobody answered.

Dan tried to sleep.

.o0o.

The first tray of food came when Dan started shaking uncontrollably. It held a bowl of mashed potatoes and lasagna- actually, it was pretty good.

There wasn't a window in Dan's cell. Just the lights turning off at what he presumed was night.

.o0o.

It wasn't until a few days later when Dan got his next meal. He was sitting around, examining his hand, when a small black line appeared on it. Just a little swirl, almost like henna.

It was then that he equated powers to food.

.o0o.

He tried to summon more lines, and it worked for the most part. He could eventually get them to form and go away- in different patterns too. He decided that, just for kicks, he would make a Shib on the back of his hand.

Someone must have gotten the joke, as he'd gotten a small bowl of ice cream that afternoon.

.o0o.

In the times between discoveries and practicing, Dan liked to reminisce. Because what else are you going to do in solitary confinement? He though about YouTube, what he and Phil were planning to do once they'd gotten back from Vidcon (so much for Mario Kart and Tumblr). He thought about how he missed Phil.

He stopped thinking about how much he missed Phil. It was going to tear him apart.

He sang some songs, too. His voice was quite pretty when he wasn't trying to be silly. He remembered a little song he'd heard a long time ago, he couldn't quite remember all the words. He had heard it from a fan from Missouri. They had sent him a song- spammed him, really- until he'd given in and listened to it.

"On one side, of the river, stood Running Bear the Indian brave. On the other, side of the waters, stood the lovely Indian maid! Little White Dove, was her name, such a lovely sight to see, But their tribes fought, with each other, so their love could never be!"

Dan had to be grateful for spam messages.

"Oh Running Bear, loves Little White Dove, with a love, as big as the sky! Oh Running Bear, loves Little White Dove, with a love, that wouldn't die!"

Dan did the little hand motions, and he had to think that this was a fantastic way to pass time.

"In the moonlight, he could see her, blowing kisses 'cross the waves. Her little heart was, beating faster, waiting for her Indian Brave." The song was quite heartbreaking, and with a catchy beat and melody.

"Oh Running Bear, loves Little White Dove, with a love, as big as the sky, oh Running Bear, loves Little White Dove, with a love, that wouldn't die!"

"Running Bear jumped, into the water, and Little White Dove did the same. As they swam out, to each other, through the raging waters they came! As their hands clasped, and their lips met, the raging waters pulled them down! Now they'll always, be together, in the Happy Hunting Grounds!"

"Oh Running Bear, loves Little White Dove, with a love, as big as the sky! Oh Running Bear, loves Little White Dove, with a love, that wouldn't die!"

Dan chuckled to himself. He never thought a song sung at camp could apply so well to the situation at hand.

.o0o.

Dan had a system worked out. He'd advance his powers slowly, and receive a small, less-than-amazing portion of food. When he wanted to celebrate, he'd concentrate really hard and do a picture or meme on his hand.

He had another breakthrough in about a week. He stared at his hand, trying to cover the entire back in the ink-like substance, when his whole hand turned flat and dark.

"What the shit?" Dan asked himself, peering at the appendage with apprehension. The darkness spread up his forearm, and it took him a while to realize he was turning into a shadow.

"Awesome," Dan breathed, watching in wonder as he slowly disappeared. He couldn't turn himself back for a few hours, though, at which point his food was mostly cold.

.o0o.

Dan hated his hobbit hair.

It had been two-ish weeks since he'd been imprisoned. He still didn't know what they were waiting for, he thought that he'd pretty much mastered his power, but nobody came.

They had told him that they'd be back. That he'd be free someday.

Had it all been a lie? A ruse to get him to walk to captivity in safety and silence? Dan suddenly felt the urge to punch something. Except, his power thought otherwise. Like another limb, a shadow stretched from his knuckled and hit the wall with such a force that some of the drywall chipped.

Dan smiled.

This would be useful.

.o0o.

Dan thought back to the party. Had he even had that much to drink? He didn't remember much, but he did remember the shot line with Phil. In all fairness, Dan knew that would've ended in a headache.

But Mark couldn't process alcohol. He'd been crying about his career, like a black-out drunk, but he hadn't even touched the alcohol for obvious reasons.

Troye had only had one beer the whole night! How'd he pass out?!

How'd he pass out first?

Dan thought on it. The girl hadn't said it explicitly, but Dan thought that maybe, just maybe, they'd been drugged.

And maybe it hadn't been on purpose.

Or maybe it had.

Dan wasn't sure which one was worse.

.o0o.  
He mastered the little shadow-things in record time. He could send them out and retract them from his palms, fingertips, and knuckles, and turn his whole body to shadow (including his clothes, which he was immensely grateful for).

 _"We love to inform you that you are fit for combat training,"_ A voice said, this one scratchy and male, from a speaker.

"Will I get to see my friends?" Dan asked.

 _"You belong to us,"_ The voice ignored Dan's question, _"Please follow the storm troopers. They will guide you to your first lesson."_

Great.

Just what Dan needed.

Exercise.

His door opened with a creaking noise, and Dan really felt like singing 'For the First Time In Forever' just to piss off the stormtroopers.

Until he saw that there must have been fifty, heavily armed, extremely macho-looking guys wielding guns with odd glowing ammunition.

Dan assumed this would neutralize his power, and completely disregarded his plan.

.o0o.

"Sir," Colonel Fak stood at attention, "Three of the inmates have somewhat mastered their innate abilities and have gone on the combat training."

"Good, good," The General said, "Have them ready for Task Force work."

"And if they won't?" The Colonel asked.

"Make them." The General said, snarling slightly. The Colonel nodded and marched from the room. The General lit a cigar and leaned back in his chair.

He looked at the list of inmates the Colonel had given him.

_Dan Howell; Darkness Manipulation [y]_

_Phil Lester; Light Manipulation (?) [n]_

_Jon Cozart; Telekenesis (?) [n]_

_Troye Sivan; Sonic Screech (?) [n]_

_Tyler Oakley; Shape-shifting [y]_

_Connor Franta; Teleportation [n]_

_Mark Fischbach; N/A [n]_

_Hannah Hart; Super-Strength [n]_

_Ingrid Nilson; Atmokinesis [n]_

_Shane Dawson; Invisibility [y]_

_Joey Graceffa; Super-Speed [n]_

_Louise Pentland; Healing [n]_

_Anthony Padilla; Superhuman Intelligence [n]_

_Ian Hecox; Sexy, sexy eyes[n]_

It was going to be a long couple of weeks if they were already messing with his people. The General sighed and scratched out what Ian had written and replaced it with _Mind Control_.

The General didn't think too highly of YouTube. Sure, his daughters watched it, but these men and women lacked integrity. They lacked intelligence. 

They were the perfect dancing monkeys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE PLOT THICKENS
> 
> DUN DUN DUHHHHHHHH
> 
> My Tumblr is llcheshirecatll, if anyone wants to check it out!
> 
> Also I my favorite archetype bad guy is in here. Underestimating the heroes will get you beheaded, Mr. General-Guy-Who-I-Have-Yet-To-Name.


	3. I'll Tell You All About It When I See You Again

Dan couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of freedom when he got out to the courtyard. It was a humongous place, barren and desert-like. Tyler was there, looking a bit tired, but other than that no different than when they'd gotten there. Dan raced up to him and engulfed the smaller man in a bear hug.

"Nice to see you too!" Tyler said, laughing slightly. Dan smiled. He knew his friend was safe- and he'd had no knowledge that he'd be training with another person.

"I don't get a hug?" Shane Dawson asked, walking on to the scene- embarrassingly the only one of them to have grown much facial hair.

"Fine," Tyler smiled, "C'mere."

Don't blame them. They hadn't seen another person in three weeks. It looked as though they'd all done a few push-ups and other things like that in their cells, but they were really, really malnourished.

"Okay, pansies! I am General Brant!" A male in a military uniform about a few inches taller than Tyler and with _muscles_ and what appeared to be a basic need to yell everything he said strutted into the courtyard, "Reunion's over! Drop and give me twenty!"

"Wait-" Shane wrinkled his nose, "Here? Push-ups? Ew."

"Did I give you an option?!" Brant yelled. Shane sighed and got down onto the ground.

"Now, I know you're some _internet heroes_ , or whatever," Brant paced in front of the three, "But that doesn't matter here."

"Shit," The color drained from Tyler's face, "I was planning on working on the Trevor Project!"

"What the hell is that?!" Brant ask-yelled.

"It's a- um-" Tyler didn't know why he was so nervous around Brant (it was the muscles. He had too many of them. And a vein that popped out on his neck.), "A suicide hotline for LGBT youths." He, Dan, and Shane finished push-ups and stood up, feeling mostly disgraced. They sure as shit hadn't been given a choice- about whether to go there, about whether to do the push-ups, about whether to even get super-powers in the first place.

"Well, isn't that just _dandy_?" Brant had a southern American accent, "The only demographic of people who don't need to be saved! The special snowflakes going through a phase."

This caused Dan, Shane, and Tyler to frown in an action so unanimous it was almost comical.

"Well, I certainly hope your kids don't turn out like you," Curse Dan's inability to stay silent around the people in charge of him, "That'll be the day I truly give up on the world."

"You sassin' me, boy?!" Brant did the teacher thing where he knew the answer, he just wanted to hear it out of Dan's mouth.

"And what if I am?" Dan crossed his arms, "We didn't ask to be here! We didn't ask for powers!" He grew angrier.

"Too fuckin' bad!" Brant shot back, "If you truly cared for the people in this world, you'd take it without whining like a brat. Now, _do as I say, or your friend gets it_!" A television screen flickered to life, revealing Phil, strapped to a table, blue eyes wide with fear. He was mouthing something Dan couldn't hear- the audio had been turned off- but he was breathing rapidly and looked like he was saying 'No,'

"Don't hurt him!" Dan immediately backed down.

"We won't. Just run." Brant said, "Fifty laps! Lose count, start over! GO!" Dan, Shane, and Tyler took off sprinting, tears threatening to spill. It had been a long time since Dan had cried- _The Fault In Our Stars_ being the most recent occurrence- but he felt helpless, which was one thing he hated. It's a unique torture, watching your best friend in fear.

It was worse than Troye looking so young, back in the corridor. It was just a glimpse, but Dan could see the red rims of his eyes and the way his frame looked even smaller than usual.

Dan tripped over a rock.

He caught himself, which was lucky. He heard his wrist crack and felt a huge pain in his wrist, which was unlucky. It was almost as if someone had taken an iron fire poker and held it against his skin.

"Get up! Get UP!" Brant yelled. Dan picked himself up, struggling not to black out. He started to run again, jogging at a pace which was probably way too slow.

"Faster! Does this look like a gym class to you?" Brant really had this yelling thing down. Dan decided it would be best not to look at his wrist, and for now the adrenaline kept him from feeling too badly, other than like he was going to either pass out, throw up, or both. Dan focused his energy into his feet, keeping them steady.

"Keep it up!" Brant said, "You've got four more hours before dinner!"

"We don't even get lunch?" Shane gasped.

"Nope. Chin up, sunshine!" Brant said. Shane could feel himself sweating through his clothes- and it was not a good feeling.

.o0o.

After the intense workout, they were briefed on the facility.

"We have ten Levels, the system of ranking." The instructor, Mrs. Mac, said, "You are at Level Two, and everyone else is still at Level One. Level Ten is the highest Level of security, given only to the Director. I, myself, am Level 6. I expect you to respect that." She leveled a glare at them, revealing a dangerous side to her.

"In case you go against our wishes, I am told that we can hold some leverage against you," She had three screens, not just one, in the background. She clicked them on with a remote, and they revealed Phil, Joey, and Troye.

"Don't kill them," Tyler pleaded, words escaping from his mouth to fast for him to stop them. Dan's jaw did the thing and Shane's eyes grew desperate.

Those were their friends.

"Oh, we wouldn't kill them," Mrs. Mac's eyes gleamed, "We'll do something much worse. We'll make them beg for death. And then, you'll kill them."

There was a sense of panic in the air. The three knew on instinct that they'd never kill their friends. Not in a million years.

"Now, you can earn privileges by Leveling Up," She pointed to the board, "Which is granted when you become skilled enough to defeat someone of your Level. You will have a chance to defeat someone in the afternoon, after basic skills training and dinner." Shane's stomach gave a half-hearted grumble at that.

"But, before that, you three are stinking up my classroom, and un-cleanliness is not combat material. Take a shower." She passed out bags with a shaving razor, soap, and an outfit in it.

"I expect you back within the hour." She let them go.

.o0o.

Dan's suit was itchy.

It was a dark fabric- sticking with his aesthetic- black with some navy blue worked in and an insignia on the shoulder. He also had combat boots and a mask with a muzzle and what appeared to be goggles.

Dan got into the suit but didn't put the mask on. He didn't like uniformity and the mask was giving him Bucky Barnes feels.

"Last one back?" Mac grinned wolfishly, "One lash for Philip."

Dan was so grateful for the fact that the audio was off. Phil was shirtless and a whip came down, the flesh obviously irritated- putting it lightly, here- even over the poor camera quality.

"Don't!" Dan squeaked, seeing Phil scream in pain.

"You won't be late again, Mr. Howell." Mac stared Dan down with what we will now refer to as the 'Glare of Death', inviting any powers that be to strike the man down where he stood. Dan just shook his head, mortified, and sat down in his seat. Even without sound, it was almost impossible to ignore the monitors behind Dan. He knew what Phil's face would look like. Scrunched up, tears streaming down his cheeks, mouth gasping for breath.

"Understood?" Mac asked. Dan nodded his head frantically, getting the message.

Just a few weeks ago, Phil had been mad at Dan for making him unpack all of his stuff.

Dan was glad they hadn't been fighting when they were at Tyler's party. And hey, at least Tyler had gotten to celebrate. Now, it almost seemed like the last party they'd ever go to.

Maybe they should have cherished it more.

.o0o.

Lessons were boring. This was a well-known fact, but rule after rule after rule was thrown at the men so fast their heads were spinning.

"Dinner time!" Mac snapped impatiently, "And remember, step out of line-" She gestured to a sleeping Troye, a rather frantic Joey, and Phil, who appeared to be asking for help. There was a welt forming where the whip had hit his torso, bright red in color. Dan, Tyler, and Shane nodded before going off to the mess hall.

"I can't do this," Tyler said after about a minute of silence as the trio left for the cafeteria, "I can't do this." He turned around as if to run off.

"Calm down!" Shane nearly yelled, "Where will you go? You can't leave us! If not me or Connor or Joey, don't leave Troye!" He stared Tyler down, the other man breathing quickly and lightly, almost hyperventilating.

"He's having a panic attack," Dan noted, "I've had them. Are you okay with human touch?" He asked Tyler gently. Tyler shook his head 'no'.

"Okay." Dan said, "You're okay. We're okay. We'll get out of here. We don't know how or when, but we will. Just focus on the smaller things. Walking. Eating. Sleeping." Dan urged. Tyler calmed down. Shane really had to resist the urge to yell 'GAAAAAY', especially after he remembered that Tyler was actually gay.

"Let's go get some crappy cafeteria food!" Shane cheered instead, leading the trio to dinner.

.o0o.

Dinner was just about as good as they could have hoped for- and by that I mean it was terrible.

"And now on to the fun part- learning how to kill people using our skills!" Dan sighed in a defeated sort of way. The three made their way to the courtyard, where a bunch of dummies were set up, as well as some punching bags and some other equipment.

"Okay, boys," A young male with sandy brown curls and thick-framed glasses walked in. His face looked much kinder than their other instructors', "I'm Ben. I'll be teaching you how to fight."

"Please," Tyler started right away, "Don't hurt our friends. We'll do what you want."

"I won't," Ben said, "As long as you do as I tell you to." There was no real malice in his voice, and Dan realized that he didn't want to be there just as much as Dan himself didn't want to. He couldn't have been more than nineteen.

Dan and the others took turns learning hand-to-hand combat with and without their powers, and taking breaks.

"Hey," Shane greeted, sitting down next to where Dan had laid, looking at the stars.

"I'd almost forgotten they existed," Dan sighed.

"I know," Shane said, "It's almost like they're more beautiful now then they would've been before."

The courtyard was quiet except for the occasional sound of a blow landed or Tyler's heavy breathing. This session would be the longest of the three, but the least intense.

Dan thought he would like this one.

"I just hope they'll be ready to join us soon," Shane stared at his knees. He wasn't usually this thoughtful, or as kind in general. Also, he had a very fucked up sense of humor. It was really rare that people saw his serious side, even when he wasn't on YouTube.

"Me too," Dan said. The lights were dim, almost peaceful. If Dan listened closely enough he could hear crickets and frogs in the distance.

It was almost good.

.o0o.

An hour and a half later, Dan was called to the area with the equipment.

"And you punch like this," Ben struck the bag with wraps on. Dan tried to imitate, but his wrist felt like it was exploding from the inside.

"Are you okay?" Ben gasped, getting the wrap off of Dan's hand and wrist. He pressed his thumbs into Dan's wrist, and Dan gave a little yelp.

"Yep, that's broken," Ben surmised, "Take off your shirt."

"What?" Dan glanced at Ben.

"I know how to hide bandages," Ben rolled his eyes, rolling up Dan's sleeve for him. He took the wrap and a stick and made a brace around Dan's wrist, the stick prohibiting movement.

"Stay off this. Do one-armed push-ups. For all I know, Brant doesn't care. He'll probably congratulate you for not being a whiny bitch," Ben rolled his eyes again. Dan nodded, wincing at how raw his wrist felt.

"Anyway, can you strike with your powers?" Ben asked. Dan nodded and reached out with his right hand, letting darkness trail from his fingertips to the dummy. It gripped the dummy's neck, leaving indentations and even lacerations. 

"That's so cool!" Ben smiled. Dan couldn't help but smile back.

Dan had to remember that even people at the Compound were people too.

.o0o.

Tyler was lying on his back, gazing at the stars. Dan laid down next to him.

"You okay?" Dan asked, remembering Tyler's panic attack.

"Yeah," Tyler said, "It's just- that's never happened before. Not on the Amazing Race, not when I was writing my book-"

"We all have breaking points," Dan reassured, "When I studied Law, I had a mental breakdown."

"We all know this story," Tyler rolled his eyes, and Dan playfully slapped his arm.

"And anyway, you had people like Korey and Connor and Troye to help you then, right?" Dan asked.

"Yeah," Tyler said, thinking about it.

"You've got me and Shane now, and the others when they join us," Dan promised.

"Of course," Tyler said. The two laid there until Shane had finished, then walked back inside. Guards found them and pushed them towards their separate cells- which seemed to be down separate hallways. They didn't question the fact that they'd never gotten the chance to spar- they were too tired.

The thing about being put in these situations is that you develop an extremely close bond to whomever you are with.

Dan, Shane, and Tyler could practically have a conversation in one glance. As they went around the corner to each of their own hallways, they shared one last look- a conversation that said _see you tomorrow_ , _be safe_ , and _don't let them get to you_ , all in one breath.

_Don't let them get to you._


	4. My Lawyer Made Me Change The Chapter Title So I Wouldn't Get Sued

Classes went on for two days before Connor joined them. He could teleport, which added another layer of complexity to when they fought as a group. Dan could tell he was getting stronger- even under the unfavorable conditions- and he would have been proud of himself had said unfavorable conditions not come into play.

Dan walked out on the third day of training to see Shane and Tyler hugging a third person. Dan walked up and Connor jokingly mouthed 'help me' at him.

"Oh no," Dan joked right back, "You're going to be hugged, and you're going to enjoy it."

"There is no consent in this situation," Connor said, laughing. The mood immediately turned sour when Brant walked into the courtyard. Thankfully, Connor could keep up with them- just barely. The sooner the others joined, the better it would be.

.o0o.

Lunch was horrible, just like every day. Connor nearly broke down about halfway through, just like Tyler had a few days ago.

"I'm never getting out of here," Connor groaned, laying his head on his arms.

"Yes, we are," Tyler was the one to comfort his friend, "We don't know how or when, but we are. Trust me."

The stars almost seemed brighter that night.

Connor and Ben got along fantastically, and the more Dan saw the man, the more he realized that he didn't want to be here.

_So why was he?_

.o0o.

They didn't get anybody else for a week. Then Mark joined them.

"What's your power?" They asked the man.

"No fucking clue," Mark said back, "Seriously. I think they've just gotten tired of me sitting around and being unproductive."

"Awesome," Dan said sarcastically.

"Y'know, at least I can get back into shape," Mark shrugged, stepping out onto the dusty field, "They barely fed me."

"Yeah, I think the first time they fed me, I was shaking badly," Dan commented, "I thought I was going to pass out."

Then something- excuse the cliché- magical happened. The dry grass became green around Mark's feet and plush grass started to grow.

"Woah," Tyler's eyes widened, "Looks like you found it."

"Huh," Mark raised his hand, a vine rising where he did, "Looks like I did."

Then Dan made the comment of Mark literally being Poison Ivy from DC, to which Mark said, "Yeah? Well, you're a meme. I bet you're glad you didn't just get the power to make Doge faces at people."

To which Dan pulled his Doge face. He and Mark broke down into a fit of laughter, their argument being both ridiculous and petty. Mark was a good running buddy too, even after a long time being pent up he was in decent shape, as he would run in circles when he was bored. 

You think I'm kidding, but I'm not.

.o0o.

Mark getting his power led to an amazing lunch that looked edible. The conversation grew pretty heavy pretty quickly.

"Let's be real. We're never leaving." Connor poked his lunch with his fork.

"We will," Tyler insisted.

"Tell that to Phil." Dan said, "Tell that to Troye. Tell that to everybody whose powers haven't become strong enough to be put into intense training yet."

"I would if I could," Tyler said back. Silence settled on the group, each losing their appetite.

Except Mark. The man was hungry.

.o0o.

It was another week until Phil joined them. By that time, Hannah, Jon, Ingrid, Ian, Anthony, and Louise had also joined them. Ian and Anthony had had a heartfelt reunion, too, as had Hannah and Ingrid.

Ian had gotten the memo after one day of field training when he tried to mind-control a guard, resulting in Anthony being hit with a metal rod across the chest. Anthony certainly had a lot of choice words with Ian the next day when he walked out onto the field. They hugged it out, because when you've been kidnapped and forced to do slave labor, one can't really hold grudges.

Hannah and Ingrid had, of course, kissed the instant they saw each other. Louise had given everybody a hug- including Jon, who found it oddly comforting. He missed a lot of people.

.o0o.

"Dan!" Phil yelled, running over. Dan noticed the way that the suit clung to Phil's ribs, which were very visible.

"Phil," Dan said, hugging his friend. They didn't get two seconds of peace, though, before Brant started the day's exercises. After the second round of ten push-ups, Phil was panting and sweating so hard Dan feared for his safety.

"Faster, Lester!" Brant barked at Phil. Dan winced as his friend did, Phil trying to do the exercise correctly.

Phil succeeded for the next four minutes, then fell down.

"You a pussy?!" Brant taunted.

"N-no," Phil was shaking from exertion and fear, "I just haven't exercised in weeks-"

"Not an excuse!" Brant yelled, beckoning a guard. The guard raised his gun, ready to lower it onto Phil's head. Phil swayed a bit, gulping at the realization at what was about to happen.

"Don't hurt him!" The voice that cried out didn't belong to Dan- it belonged to Connor. Dan had been to shell-shocked to move, to even dare breathe. Connor raced up to the guard and tried to wrestle the weapon away from him.

Another guard fired a green ball at Connor, which his arm. Connor clutched at his bicep, crying out in pain. He sunk to his knees, tears making their way down his face. The guard who had been about to attack Phil gripped the sides of Connor's head, twisting it to a cruel angle.

There was a snap.

Connor fell forward.

He looked like a broken toy.

"See what happens when you disobey orders?" Brant said, "RUN!"

Terrified, Dan picked up Phil by the arm and took off, half-dragging, half-carrying his friend. Tyler had tears pouring down his face, and remembered the conversation they'd had earlier.

_Let's be real here, we're never going to leave._

_We will._

Tyler didn't even know where Troye was. The monitors were off today.

Everyone was going through the motions of running, each shocked to the core.

Connor Franta was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'know, in the first chapter, someone commented saying that this story was cute.
> 
> WELL, GUESS WHO'S LAUGHING NOW!
> 
> No but really, your comments and kudos give me life. Thank.


	5. I Am A Horrible Person

Dan walked to dinner with everybody.

They were silent; almost in memorial for Connor. It made them furious to think that Brant was the cause of Connor's death- Brant was the one in charge of this, after all.

"I can't eat," Tyler said, pushing away his food. He didn't know if Troye was okay- he knew Connor wasn't okay- and it was driving him crazy.

"You have to," Dan urged. It wasn't a matter of want. It was a matter of necessity. Tyler ate the food slowly and chewed it like it was cardboard, hair turning a gray color and eyes growing dull.

"To Connor," Hannah said after a long silence, holding up her water cup. Everyone else said, 'To Connor' and they drank the water. It was like they were saying goodbye.

Troye didn't know.

Tyler had tears streaming down his face, not quite breaking down, and yet, not quite put together.

"Who else isn't here yet?" Dan asked, leaning into Phil (actually, Phil was leaning into Dan- and eating all of his food. Damn was he hungry.).

"Just Troye and Joey," Shane shrugged.

"What's keeping them?" Mark wondered. Nobody seemed to have a good answer.

"The next class is good, I promise." Dan said softly, threading his fingers through Phil's hair. Phil closed his eyes a bit and leaned into the touch- it felt nice after the weeks of solitude. Everybody who'd had Ben agreed.

"Thanks," Phil said, burying his face in Dan's neck. For the most part people attempted to ignore the palpable adorableness radiating off of them- actually, it might have been something else.

"Uh- Phil?" Dan said, looking into Phil's eyes.

They were pitch black.

"Dan?" Dan's eyes were bright white, like a sunbeam.

"What do you know?" Jon said, "You're like Yin and Yang. The phangirls were right."

"Shut up," Phil joked. The conversation became lighter and with more laughter- Tyler even joining in for a while- and strayed from Connor.

"We're not going to lose anybody else, right?" Tyler asked.

"Nope." Hannah said with such determination that it impressed Ingrid.

.o0o.

That night, Ben started to talk about something different.

"We have some Level 2 Agents," He seemed a bit stricter, "They will be sparring with you-" There were guards near by. That explained it, "And if you can beat them, you will move up a rank. If they can beat you, they move up a rank and... you will be punished." He grimaced. A grim feeling settled over the people.

"You may choose one person to team up with," Ben said, "They will be your partner nearly permanently, so choose wisely."

The choices people made were pretty obvious, weren't they? Dan and Phil, Hannah and Ingrid, Mark and Jon (because why not?), and leaving Tyler, Shane, and Louise to be by themselves- Tyler and Shane because the people they would partner with were still Level 1, and Louise because she was too polite to break apart anybody's group.

Dan and Phil were up first. They were facing a rather scared-looking girl in pigtails and a brutish man with beady black eyes. Dan motioned for Phil to take the girl, and Dan would fight the other one. The fight started and the girl threw a punch at Phil's torso, hitting him in the ribs. He flinched a little and shook it off, using a blast of light to knock the little girl back, eyes flashing dark. Dan's brightened as he took on the man, who'd gotten in a few good blows before Dan could retaliate. The man slipped under the shadowy tendrils to sweep kick Dan to the ground. And, of course, Dan had to land on his wrist. He cried out, and Phil became angry. Instead of a gentle, bright light that flowed from his hand, he let out a beam of light that could only be described as fire-like. It sparked from his fingers and was a reddish-yellowish glow that knocked their opponent down. The little girl roundhouse kicked Phil in the jaw, a nasty cracking sound could be heard. From his spot on the ground, Dan turned into a shadow and stood up. He walked over to the brutish man and wrestled him out of the ring- difficult when you can't really use your arm. That was one opponent down. The girl got in another kick and Dan put her in a choke-hold so she passed out and carried her off.

"Congratulations, Howell and Lester!" Everyone on their side cheered. Louise pressed her hand to Phil's face and concentrated, and Phil felt a tremendous pain in his jaw and then... nothing. It had been healed.

"Lou, you genius!" Phil hugged her. Louise did the same with Dan and then walked over to the other side. Some of the opponents gasped- _wasn't it her job to defeat them?_ \- and she healed the brutish man with the beady eyes and the girl with the pigtails. In that second, they looked so grateful.

Then Louise was called into the ring to fight an opponent. A smaller man with very, very visible ribs.

"I'm so sorry," Louise said, grabbing his head. He grew weaker in the knees and slowly fell down, not even given a chance to fight back. Louise dragged him off before healing him again.

"So, so sorry," Louise smiled down at him before joining her own side. Her, Dan, and Phil were each given a patch to be sewn onto their outfits.

"You will move to the Level 3 containment units." Ben said gently, as he said everything, "Trust me. They're much nicer. I think in Level Four you're actually at a higher rank than some of the operatives, and guards are at Level Eight." Saying things that weren't necessarily allowed not absolutely banned was his specialty, "And, of course, Brant is Level Ten."

"At Level Six, you are allowed to attend meetings. At Level Seven, it becomes almost mandatory. Level Eights and Nines are in Brant's personal circle, and are treated like kings." Ben said in a voice that was lower than the congratulations of everyone else. 

"At Level Six, you get a extra clothes and your own showers and to room with your partners," Ben said, "So shoot for there. That's where it all gets okay."

_That's where it all gets okay._

Better than what Connor got.

"I hope Troye and Joey join us soon," Tyler remarked, as he, Shane, and Louise were the only ones who would be getting their own rooms and, trust me, they were lonely as shit.

"We all do," Dan said.

Throughout all this, sparring was still going on. Jon and Mark made a surprisingly good team, Jon and Mark both being able to move things with their minds. Of course, the Smosh fight was almost ridiculous- in fact, I'm entirely convinced Ian just told the people to walk back out and say 'Uncle'.

"Well, let's get you to your new rooms," Ben said, the guards leading them down a different hallway than they were used to. 

When Dan got to his new room, the concrete... everything... was gone. The walls were plaster and the floors metal. The cot was still there, and the toilet didn't look like it would give Dan some sort of nasty disease. Dan settled on the cot and started to sing, because dammit, singing is a nice way to pass time.

"So this is what you meant, when you said you were spent. And now it's time to build from the bottom of the pit right to the top, don't hold back. Packin' my bags and givin' the Academy a rain check. I don't ever wanna let you down. I don't ever wanna leave this town. 'Cause after all, the city never sleeps at night. It's time to begin, isn't it, I get a little bit bigger but then I'll admit, I'm just the same as I was! Now don't you understand, that I'm never changin' who I am." Dan sang, sleep taking him over, feeling strangely content. He knew where he could go. He could gain power. He wasn't just a slave.

.o0o.

Dan woke to a guard knocking on his door. He groaned, stretching. He got up and the guard led him outside, where he expected to see General Brant. He was not disappointed in that aspect, let's just say.

"Level Threes, huh?" He said, "Well, your friends are Level Twos. If they're lucky, they'll get to fight someone every night and they'll catch up to you in no time." He sounded a bit... proud? He seemed to be a bit easier on them, and they even got a water break. 

.o0o.

Dinner was a bit earlier than normal, and they realized just how much they appreciated that. Hannah and Ingrid shared a kiss that earned a wolf-whistled from Shane, who was smacked on the back of the head by Louise.

It was around this point that Dan realized that things were looking up. But he kept seeing the image of Connor, eyes glazed over, neck snapped. He realized that all the smiles around the table were forced. They could see it too.

That single image fueled a rebellion. Against Brant, against the little pigtailed girl and the man with beady black eyes. Against the skinny man Louise fought. Against every single guard that hadn't stopped what happened to Connor. They were all responsible. And they would all pay.

Dancing monkeys, my ass.


	6. Brother, Help Me Through These Dark, Dark Days

They let Joey and Troye out the very next day. The two were so hungry and practically hanging off one another throughout the grueling exercise.

And they passed the other group in the hallway. Fit, well-fed, laughing. Compared to the other two- ribs visible, eyes haughty, and barely standing- they looked like kings. Of course, Tyler and Shane's eyes lit up when they passed the two. Tyler's hair was dyed a suspiciously bright pink, but other than that everyone was without makeup or anything else.

"Ty!" Troye called, coughing a bit.

"Don't speak," A guard growled, equally to Troye and Tyler, "You are below him- and you are above him. You do not communicate."

Tyler's face fell and his hair turned a dull blue color, and Troye figured out what Tyler's power was. There was just one question he had.

Where was Connor?

He was sure he'd be outside, where the guards had taken Troye and Joey, but he wasn't there. They got lunch, which was amazing, and after that they got to spar.

"Go!" Brant yelled, the man to fight Troye springing into action.

"Joshua fought the battle of Jericho! Jericho! Jericho!" Troye sang, the man pouncing weakly onto the other, but still with enough force to knock the wind out of Troye. Maybe with a bit more time, Troye would've been a more-than-adequate fighter, but he was at best average, especially without his strength.

"Joshua fought the battle of Jericho!" Troye's voice was hoarse and off-key, but there, "And the walls came tumbling down!"

The man fell to the floor, unconscious.

Troye would sleep in the same hallway as his friends.

Joey was meant to fight their very best, a girl with auburn hair and green eyes. He had super-speed, so dodging her punches was easy. However, it was draining to move his fists at a rate which blurred his hands. He landed a few good blows before she got him in a choke-hold, and he was left to try to force her out of the ring. He fell down on his back and used a technicality to win- he moved backwards until her head was all the way out of the ring. Then he used what was left of his power to push her off of him and over the line- winning.

Joey smiled and Troye helped him stand up.

Ben clapped for them and led them to their dorms.

"What happened to Connor?" Troye rasped.

"I don't know," Ben said honestly. Nobody had informed him.

"I guess we'll find out tomorrow." Joey shrugged, limping into his room.

.o0o.

Troye woke up with a sore side and a bruised back. He stretched as the guard pounded on his door, and he walked outside.

Tyler was waiting for him.

Tyler engulfed him in a hug, and Troye was smiling brightly.

He stepped back and looked around for more familiar faces. There was Dan and Phil and Louise and Mark- but no Connor.

"Hey, where's Connor?" Troye asked, smile fading as he realized that nobody else was smiling. Joey stood next to Shane, who looked down at his feet.

"Dead," The word was barely audible from Tyler's mouth, but it was enough to make Troye dissolve into tears, crying against Tyler's shirt.

"He saved me." Phil said, "I owe him so much that I'll never be able to give him."

Don't make a 'kinky' joke, now is not the time.

"I-" Troye tried to say something, but couldn't, "I-"

"Twenty laps, ladies! My daughters are having a meltdown and I had to get up early!" Brant yelled. Everyone started sprinting, staying with one person in particular- except Louise, who was running by herself.

"You poor things," She said after they were done running. They were the only ones who were panting, and Louise stood next to them and held her hand to Troye's side. He let out a yelp before his side went blissfully numb. Joey did the same when Louise healed him.

"There'll be another fight tonight, right?" Joey asked.

"Maybe," Dan shrugged, "I was one of the first ones out here. We didn't fight for a few weeks." He glanced at Shane and Tyler. The three stood closely together wherever they went- almost as closely as Dan and Phil. Troye knew what they'd gone through had been almost worse than what he'd gone through- hunger and pain, physical and emotional exertion like no other.

Maybe JK Rowling was right. Maybe when you go through some things with people, there was no way you could come out of it and not be friends.

The horrible thing about the Compound was that everyone acted like it was okay.

And that the YouTubers were starting to believe it.

.o0o.

That night, there was a fight. The ring of dirt was drawn and two or four fighters were placed inside of it. Troye and Tyler would fight together, of course. Tyler's ability had improved greatly, with heavy exercise (okay, so Troye might have been checking him out. Sue him.).

When Brant blew the whistle, Tyler and the two fighters sprang into action. Troye wasn't the strongest he could be- of course not, he'd been locked in a room for way too long- but Tyler threw a punch and knocked one of the opponents straight out of the ring in one blow.

"Holy fuck," Troye yelped, dodging a punch from the other opponent, before coming to his senses. He began to sing in an ethereal voice, entrancing the man.

"Kiss me on the mouth and set me free, sing me like a choir, I can be the subject of your dreams, your sickening desire," Troye stepped closer to the man, singing softly. Once he was mere centimeters away, he gently pushed the man back until he was outside of the circle, a stark difference to Tyler's violent fighting style.

"That was amazing!" Tyler said, hugging Troye, "You have got to teach me how to do that."

"I wish I'd figured out how to do that before," Troye rolled his eyes, "They figured it out before I did and had a gag in my mouth before you could say 'Suburbia'." He chuckled at his joke.

"Well, let's watch," Tyler said, turning around just in time to see Dan get roundhouse kicked in the face.

Again.

Really.

"Why do they always aim for the jaw?" Dan asked breathlessly as he shifted it around and Phil took care of their opponents.

"No clue," Phil said, "Need a hand?" The kick had sent Dan sprawling onto the ground.

"Nah, I think Imma just stay here," Dan groaned, disappearing into shadow. The show was a spectacle of bright light- courtesy of Phil- and their other opponent attempting to fight a shadow. It was quite funny.

Of course, Dan and Phil won their fight. Watching Ian and Anthony fight was mostly Anthony annoying their opponents while Ian pretended to be a Jedi. Louise pulled the same trick where she made her opponent weaker until they were too weak to move, then lifting them out of the ring to be healed. Mark and Jon were an interesting combination of Jon using flying dirt particles to blind their opponents while Mark called upon the nearby desert creatures to make them flee in terror (bugs are creepy, and those horned toads are mean). Hannah made quick work of simply lifting them off the ground and throwing them out, and Ingrid was happy just standing there, subtly making it rain in the waiting section of the opposition and chuckling.

"Wonderful!" Brant yelled, taking his group inside. Troye barely caught the looks of absolute horror on their faces.

.o0o.

The next day they all advanced to Level Five and were allowed to room with their partners due to them being 'special'. Their rooms actually had _actual_ beds, which almost seemed too soft, and they had their own showers with soap and shaving razors. Troye couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for Louise, who didn't have a partner, but Ben told them that they were considering pairing her with Hannah and Ingrid- which might be a little awkward.

It was the point where it was almost okay.

Almost.

.o0o.

That night there was no fighting, just training with Ben, who was still supportive ("Two more Levels and you'll be equal to me!"). During their breaks, they looked at the stars.

Dan and Phil were laying next to each other, and Dan grabbed Phil's hand. Phil looked at Dan, who contentedly sighed.

"See? This class is good." Dan said, remembering a few weeks ago. It was silent except for the quiet murmur of the voices of their peers- they'd almost quit calling themselves YouTubers- and the chirp of animals.

"Y'know, the 'sounds of nature' are just animals screaming, trying to get laid." Phil said, giggling. Dan joined in, and the two just laid there and laughed, wrapped in the same bubble of peace that Dan had been with Tyler and Shane the first night.

"Not even a covert government agency can separate Dan and Phil!" Dan said in mock pride a while later, "Bffls forever!" He and Phil laughed some more. They just laid there after that, not needing to talk.

"Like I'm ever leaving you alone again," Phil said. Dan made a noise of assent and moved closer to Phil.

"Never," Dan agreed, staring at the stars.

"Look!" Phil said, pointing, "I'm sure that star's part of a constellation!"

"I'm sure it is, Phil," Dan sighed affectionately, mentally adding _you spork_ after it. What he couldn't hear was Ben, Tyler, and Troye observing them.

"So, they're a couple, right?" Ben asked curiously.

"Nobody knows." Tyler answered. Troye nodded along with Tyler.

"Are you two a couple?" Ben asked another question.

"Uh- oh- no," Troye blushed. Tyler laughed at Troye's awkwardness.

"What about them?" Ben pointed to Hannah and Ingrid, who were sitting so closely that they could have been one human being.

"Yes." Tyler was sure about this. As if to prove his point, Hannah and Ingrid kissed.

"I'm happy for them," Ben sighed, "The reason I'm here in the first place... it's not pretty." He didn't seem ready to share.

"Back to practice?" Tyler suggested, moving back to the punching bags and helping Troye to punch correctly. Ben walked back with them, blue eyes glimmering with tears in the cheap heated lamps.

.o0o.

Dan figured out how to block a roundhouse kick that night, thank God.

.o0o.

He and Phil didn't even bother sleeping in separate beds. Phil would never admit to anybody- especially Dan- that he'd been having nightmares that, thankfully, went away when he knew Dan was safe. They enjoyed the human touch after being denied it for so long.

They enjoyed having someone to talk to, instead of the room's usual oppressive silence and darkness. They created galaxies in their spare time- which was plentiful without their sitting down classes- with Dan's shadows and Phil's light.

They were content.

Until the next two fighting days- a month later.


	7. Ben's Story

It was the day before fighting day for the Level Fives, and everyone was excited. Everyone had put on some muscle and they were actually quite proud of themselves.

"Hey," Troye said brightly to their instructor. Ben smiled back and nodded in greeting.

"You look young," Troye noted. Ben dropped his smile and nodded.

"'M nineteen," Ben said.

"Really?" Troye raised an eyebrow, "So am I. How did you get here?"

"It's a long story," Ben said, voice barely audible, "I'll tell all of you later. It's about time you knew."

Leaving Troye with that feeling of dread, Ben left for a meeting. Brant appeared seconds later to yell them into shape.

.o0o.

It was at lunch when Tyler posed the question, "Should we even escape?"

And nobody could think of a reason why they should.

.o0o.

That night, Ben didn't bring out the equipment.

"I- I have a story to tell." Ben said, straightening out his shirt, "It's about how I was roped into this mess."

Everyone was paying attention as Ben sat down and started to speak, "I used to live in Pacific, Missouri. Of course, when you're from Small Town, Nowhere, you don't get this idea that you'll go on to do big things when you grow up. I did a lot of things- in seventh grade I was nationally recognized for my ACT scores. But there was still that problem- nobody in Missouri ever makes it to the Big Leagues. I wasn't happy with my life, and I knew I'd never become a scientist."

"So instead I joined the army." He swallowed, "At seventeen. I never had a birth record, so I could pretty much have done anything at that point. I met a- I met someone there. I fell in love with them. They brought me back here, only for us both to be prosecuted. They left me in the dust, heartbroken. They had never truly loved me, just used me for my naivety and intelligence."

"I was so sad, I was even contemplating suicide for a long time. Not like they'd notice. But then I realized how people were treated around here- you remember all the days when you didn't get fed, when you didn't have entertainment, when you were stuck in a windowless room and forced to imagine what was happening to your companions. I wanted to be the one person who wasn't evil. I wanted to be the one person who didn't make things worse- I wanted to be the only person who wasn't like Jack Garrett Brant." His face crumpled. There was a slight gasp before everyone gathered around Ben and hugged him- and suddenly it all made sense. The way his face darkened and brightened whenever he saw Brant, the was he was so quiet around him and why he was so kind to everybody. Why he wasn't as talkative on the fight days, why he was so shy and yet so accepting of everyone else.

"You are the one good person here." Dan said, "My first day out here was brutal. I had to watch my best friend tortured because I was late coming back for class."

"Thank you all," Ben said, sniffling.

"But you don't get it," His face darkened, "Being here and not being a sociopath, every fall of the very whip your friend was hit with, every death or act of torture or isolation feels like it falls squarely on your shoulders."

"I know," Dan said, "You think I don't? My best friend was tortured because of me, and Connor was killed because I was too slow."

"Dan-" Phil started to say, wanting to correct him, to say that Connor's death wasn't his fault- but rather Phil's- but Dan interrupted him.

"Yes, it is!" Dan knew exactly what Phil was going to say, and stood up, "I should've stood up for you, helped you more, done something!" There were tears in Dan's eyes.

"Dan, we all feel this way," Tyler stood up with Dan. Dan flinched away from Tyler's touch. Tyler thought back, again, to the day when he had the panic attack. He felt suffocated, like he couldn't get enough air. Tyler stepped back from Dan, and Dan stared around like a deer in headlights.

"They do horrible things here," Ben said quietly, "Horrible things that turn people into horrible monsters." He addressed Dan, "You aren't a monster. Not yet. None of you are," He looked around at the group, "Yet."

"I'd like to accredit that to you," Shane said, looking at Ben, "You've been the one to keep us sane." He turned to his friend, "Dan, deep breaths." Dan took a few breaths and- after a few minutes- sat back down, unbearably close to Phil, who just wrapped his arm around Dan and rubbed circles into his friend's shoulder to soothe him even more.

"After that, I think you might need to head in early," Ben said. And indeed, everyone was emotionally exhausted. Mark wasn't running his mouth to Jon, who wasn't talking right back, Tyler had dropped the color in his hair and it was sandy blond- its natural color. Troye was leaning into Tyler's shoulder. They all stood up and made their way to their rooms.

.o0o.

Dan laid in the dark. Before all of this, the dark terrified him, as he'd never known what was in the dark.

Now, the dark was a part of him. He couldn't possibly be scared of that, right? Still, he curled up to Phil's side and reminded himself that he literally had a human nightlight for a friend.

"Y'know," Phil murmured, "I read somewhere a story. About a little boy who was terrified of the dark. But then, the dark reached out to him and helped him to fall asleep, hiding him from the rest of the world."

That sounded almost peaceful.

Dan focused on that story. Phil sent out beams of light to stay in the corners, and they laid there, softly glowing. Dan smiled and wrapped his arms around Phil's body, pulling the older man closer.

"G'night," Dan said. Phil returned it, and the two dozed off.

.o0o.

In Dan's dream, the dark was all around him. It was filled with red, glowing eyes and flashes of sharp teeth and bursts of flame. Dan tried to shy away from the darkness, but it was everywhere.

"Please, stop," Dan whispered.

And it did.

For the first time in a long time, the darkness stopped. Instead of red, glowing eyes, there were blue ones. Instead of flashed of sharp teeth, there was soft, downy hair. Instead of bursts of fire, there were little waves of light that surrounded Dan and Phil.

"Dance?" Phil asked, grabbing Dan's hand. The two sang a melody and turned in circles, free and unpressured.

"I love you," Dan said, forgetting that it was a dream. Phil smiled and returned it, pressing his lips to Dan's forehead.

"Come with me?" Phil asked. Phil had taken away Dan's darkness, Dan would certainly go with Phil. Phil led him away to another place, perhaps another time, just as dark.

Phil's eyes turned black.

"How could I ever love you?" Phil snarled, pushing Dan away and laughing. The red eyes became intermingled with beady black ones, the sharp teeth joined shouts of 'faster!' and 'more!'. The fire became brighter and hotter, until it pressed against Dan's skin and made him want to cry.

He understood what Ben had felt.

.o0o.

"Dan?!" Phil shook him awake. Dan sat up, gasping for breath.

"What time's it?" Dan asked.

"We don't have a clock, you idiot." Phil said, glaring at him. Dan shrank away from the glare- it was just like the one Dream Phil had given him.

"I'm so- I'm so sorry," Phil immediately backtracked, "You've had a nightmare. You're fine, you're safe." He brought Dan into his embrace- just like Dream Phil had. It was warm and lovely, and Dan wanted to grip Phil tighter and run a hundred miles away at the same time. Phil started to sing, hoping to calm him down.

"America, America don't you cry." Phil said as Dan buried his face in the crook of his neck. Dan didn't tell Phil that he'd had this dream so many times that he couldn't count.

"Rise to the top of the world!" Phil said, wrapping his arms around Dan as Dan tried to regain his sense, "America, America don't you cry. Lift me up! Give me strength to press on!"

"Really?" Dan asked, chuckling, " _America_? What happened to your patriotism?"

"It's the first song I could think of!" Phil said defensively, "Screw you."

Dan pretended to think on it, "Maybe later."

"Dan!" Phil laughed. The two leaned back so that they were in the bed and Dan's body was still pressed against Phil's.

"I love you," The words didn't mean to slip out of Phil's mouth, but they did.

What he expected was for Dan to recoil, to storm away, to get mad.

What he didn't expect was for Dan to press his lips to Phil's temple and whisper back, "I love you too." And to start to sing in response.

"So take me back! To when I believed. To when I was unafraid, just like a thief." Dan's lips were still pressed to Phil's temple- and he hoped Dan would never remove them, "Oh the heights! That I could reach! Back when I was unafraid, just like a thief."

They went back to sleep perfectly peaceful.

And the darkness in Dan's dream never hurt him again.

What hurt him was Tyler's question, the one that had been nagging at him all day; _Should we even bother trying to escape?_

_Was it worth it?_

Was it worth the risk of losing people? Of leaving Ben behind? Of losing themselves in their attempts?

Had they already lost themselves?


	8. Project Ex

The fight day came and went, leaving everyone exhausted. Dan and Phil collapsed on top of each other and nearly passed out.

"'Night," Phil said shortly, starting to snore.

"'Night, Philly," Dan said, making Phil smile in his sleep. The two had become even more inseparable, not leaving the other's side for a moment.

Of course, this would change.

.o0o.

Training became harder and more intense, but more rewarding. Instead of muscles tearing and bones breaking, their muscles ached pleasantly and Dan began to understand why some people ran for pleasure.

"You've got another fight tonight," Ben said, "They've... changed it up a bit."

"What?" Tyler asked.

"Only half of you will advance." Ben grimaced, "You will be pitted against your roommate." Everyone looked at their partners with desperation- except Louise. Everyone knew then that Louise might have had something going for her; by not building bonds she would never have to tear them apart. She would be going against another Level Six.

"What happens to the ones who lose?" Anthony asked, voice barely a whisper.

"I- I don't know," Ben said, "Downsides to not being in Brant's personal circle." He smiled regretfully.

Everyone knew they'd have two choices- start a revolution or suffer the fate of losing their partner, for how long they didn't know.

.o0o.

The day went by in a blur- dinner was a rush of tears and empty promises. Nobody had made up their minds. Even Anthony, who could guess exactly when and where a punch could hit, was no match for Ian's basic ability to essentially control someone else's will.

"I'll miss you," Dan said, wrapping Phil into a tight hug. They knew it- this would be the fight of the century.

Dinner became almost silent after that.

"Has anybody else stopped considering themselves a YouTuber?" Joey asked out of curiosity. He was usually pretty quiet, so everyone was a bit surprised that he'd even posed the question at all, but they all answered "Yes,"

"Well then, we'll need something to define ourselves by," Joey suggested. It was Tyler who offered a solution.

"Y'know, Ben attends meetings. In one of our first days we were talking and he mentioned a Project Crossroads," Tyler shrugged, "Sounds pretty badass."

"That's their name, though," Dan pointed out, "Wouldn't you rather be different? Not follow their lead on just one thing?"

"How about Project X?" Mark butted in, "I mean, I know it's been over-used, but things are over-used for a reason. It's short, sweet, and to the point."

"Okay," Shane said, "Any other ideas?"

"The Yin Yang?" Phil suggested.

"That can be Dan and your thing," Anthony said, "I like the idea of Project X, but not because it's been over-used. I like it because it could stand for Project Escape, Project Ex."

"That actually makes sense," Ian said, "Yeah, I like that idea too." It seemed like everyone agreed, and so their group was dubbed Project Ex.

.o0o.

They had almost forgotten about the fight, but there was only one other participant, there to fight Louise. They, of course, went first. Louise had them out and on the ground in no time.

"I'm sorry," She said, healing him and stepping back. Next went Jon and Mark, who stood face-to-face and honestly both tried their best, Mark winning as Jon couldn't move living things. Mark apologized to Jon constantly as the two backed away, and Jon was walked into the corridor. Desert creatures followed Mark, almost to see if he was okay. A lizard even poked at Mark with its snout until Mark picked it up and placed it on his shoulder.

"Someone took 'King of the Squirrels' a bit too seriously," Dan said, reminiscing about the first few days they'd spent out in the field. Hannah and Ingrid were called up next, Ingrid nearly bawling as she kissed Hannah and stepped into the ring.

"I've named him Cecil." Mark said, pointing to the lizard and distracting himself and everyone else from the fight.

"You've named it?" Honestly, I don't even know what Shane was expecting.

"He's my friend." Mark said, petting Cecil as if he were a cat. It was strangely soothing.

"Okay then," Shane said, wincing when he and Joey were called into the ring. Being really fast and invisible each had their perks, but Shane had more experience than Joey, so he easily threw the other man out of the ring. Shane flickered back into view with a bloody nose and a broken rib, and Joey knew he'd have a bruise on his side the next day. Unfortunately, the guards led Joey away before Louise could heal him. 

After Shane was healed, Ian and Anthony stepped up to the ring. They both stepped in, Anthony knowing what was about to happen.

"Well?" He asked, "Do it!"

"What? Mind-control you?" Ian's voice sounded slightly dead, "I won't." He stood there, waiting for Anthony to throw a punch and knock him out of the ring. Each sent pleading looks to the other to _just get it over with, Dear God_ , but neither would hurt the other.

"I'm sorry," Anthony was the one to break the silence, pushing Ian as gently as possible out of the ring- not that Ian put up much of a fight. The two didn't break their gaze until the doors closed behind Ian's back and Louise pulled Anthony out of the ring.

Tyler and Troye were next, and faced the same situation. Tyler knew that Troye outmatched him in ability, and Troye knew that Tyler outmatched him in physical power. It was a battle of wits.

"Please don't make me do this," Troye warned. Tyler cast him a sad look.

"You know I have to," His voice was barely a whisper, "I'm stronger than you. I'll survive."

"And I won't? Michael Tyler Oakley, I'm offended!" Troye said, chuckling lightly. Tears started to drip down his cheeks sometime around here- he wasn't sure. Tyler approached him and cupped his cheek, bringing him closer and kissing his lips before whispering, "Please."

"The sunset's longer, where I am from. Where dreams go to die, while having fun," Troye's voice broke, but Tyler became entranced immediately. Troye didn't have to keep singing to move Tyler out of the ring, and away.

"Ty- wait!" Troye was sobbing now, and he didn't even get to say what he wanted to.

"I- I never-" He felt someone pull him into a hug- later he would realize it was Phil- and he felt warm. Not uncomfortable, but the kind of warmth on a sunny day that fills you with happiness. He almost whimpered when it was gone, and Dan and Phil had to face each other.

"I won't hurt you," Were the first words they both said, unanimously.

"I won't hurt you," Dan said, "Phil, don't make me hurt you. You know this is going to end with one of us getting hurt- it has to be me."

"Would you stop it with this martyr bullshit?" Phil asked, getting angry. His eyes flashed black, and Dan's white.

"Only if you do," Dan snarled. He reached out with his shadow and Phil with the light, and the two powers collided in the middle, a show of sparks and the absence of light.

"Stop!" They both cried, "Push me out! I won't do anything to you!"

"Phil," Dan had tears running down his cheeks, "Don't- I can't- I can't do this." He increased the power surge.

"Phil," The attacks were noiseless, so they could hear each other just fine.

"I love you,"

"I'm sorry."

Dan pushed Phil out of the circle, and Phil was lead away. There would be a lot of crying that night- a lot of realizing how lonely they really were- a lot of realizing what it would really be like to lose someone they loved as much as they loved life.

.o0o.

The room seemed different without Phil. It was a different room, after all. At Level Seven, they had their own showers. They had comfortable beds with pillows and sheets.

The room was dark and devoid of the little stars Phil loved to make with his energy, which Dan cloaked in darkness, just like a miniature sun.

"Phil..." Dan grabbed a pillow from the other side of the bed and pretended that it was Phil's. If he tried hard enough he could pretend he smelled Phil's scent on the pillow, feel Phil's presence in the room.

Dan had a nightmare that night.

.o0o.

This time, Dan had been the one to lead Phil away, the one to watch as he was kicked and bitten and as the flames and darkness consumed him.

He had laughed.

Laughed as Phil screamed, as Phil cried out for Dan to help him- and suddenly he realized this is what he'd become.

He'd sacrificed his best friend- his 'something more'- for a power rank. To be above the teacher who'd ordered the first whip to Phil's abdomen.

A sense of resolve settled in his chest, and the question Tyler asked a long time ago- it felt so long, like aeons- had finally been answered.

"Is it even worth escaping?"

_Worth every life. Every penny. Every single soldier that may fall._

_To get Phil back._


	9. House Of Memories

'Project Ex' had never been more fitting to the group. They spent lunches plotting instead of chatting idly. Instead of shared kisses, there were thoughts on how to use their powers in collaborative moves.

The remaining people were Mark, Dan, Troye, Hannah, Anthony, Shane, and Louise. They were extremely worried about the ones who'd lost, as they hadn't seen them.

"Ben said Level Nines are in Brant's personal circle." Anthony recalled, "And from what I'm assuming, that's not very much. So, we've got no hope of getting information straight from the source. I think we're a bit stuck for the moment."

"True." Dan agreed. He and Shane had become even more inseparable, now that Tyler was gone. Shane was oddly quiet without Joey, and Dan didn't have the same humor in his eyes. Instead, he truly looked as though he embodied his power- pale skin and dangerous gleam in his eyes, darkness seemed to trail from him wherever he went. That wasn't the only side-affect of the fight. Troye's voice became more aggressive. Anthony's mind seemed to become more strategic in manner. Hannah sometimes smashed things to dust on accident. Cecil had bitten three security guards and Mark had to try _really_ hard to get Cecil to hide in his sleeve. Mark's ability seemed to draw more animals than before, once accidentally swarming them with ground squirrels during practice. 

I would like to take this moment to remind you that they were in the desert area of New Mexico. 

Random objects Shane touched would disappear, even one of the before-mentioned ground squirrels. Even Louise seemed to accidentally heal too quickly, the pain becoming almost unbearable for a second.

They were dangerous, they were ready, they just needed to know where their friends were.

.o0o.

The next week, something devastating happened.

"They- they're going to execute me in a week," Ben said, eyes wide in horror. They were in powers training, and Ben seemed extremely skittish.

"What?!" Dan whispered back, light flaring from his eyes.

"Then we'll just have to figure it out before then. I can do it." Anthony said smoothly.

"Then why haven't you figured it out?!" Mark asked, "You're supposed to be super-human... ly intelligent!"

"Nice English, buddy," Anthony hissed, "And I'm working on it! I've pretty much got it figured out. Shane, this will require some work on your behalf. The cameras have a ten second delay."

"What are you expecting me to do?" Shane raised an eyebrow in Anthony's direction.

"I have an idea. Ben, do the security guards know where our friends are being held?" Anthony asked the terrified man, who nodded.

"Good. All of them?" Ben shook his head.

"Okay, so only high-ranking ones." Ben nodded in reply.

"Wonderful. So, Shane, the Level Nine's have this little bird-emblem-thingy directly under their patch," Anthony addressed Shane, "I need you to steal one of their schedules. They'll probably think there's a glitch in the system. But, you'll have to keep the object invisible while you remain opaque. Could you do this?"

"Sure. Easy." Shane shrugged, smiling- although, it looked more like a grimace.

"Awesome. Tomorrow, the revolt begins. We'll be freeing the prisoners." Anthony said softly, clapping his hands together.

.o0o.

The map-stealing plan went off without a hitch. Shane was simply pretending to flirt.

"Ooh! Nice butt," Shane smirked, slapping the soldier lightly and grabbing the schedule out of his pocket.

"Hey!" The Level Nine grabbed for his back pocket, blushing furiously- clearly not used to being hit on by guys.

"You little-" He was about to attack Shane when another guard said, "Not worth it. The scum doesn't know what he's doing."

The two then turned their snooty little noses up and marched off, leaving Shane to struggle with his poker face. He allowed himself a proud little smirk and headed back to the group.

They all took comfort in it being their last night.

.o0o.

The next day, they were speaking in hushed voices at lunch.

"So, they're in solitary confinement?" Troye asked, "Poor things."

"Lou, we might need you on standby. No telling how well they've been fed." Anthony said.

"Oh- okay," Louise said, obviously concerned for her friends. There was a certain hopefulness in everyone's eyes- but it might have been covered up by determination and anger.

"Shane. You get Ben out, then join the fighting. Make him invisible, too." Anthony said, "I know you haven't been able to make a human disappear, but you have to." There wasn't an _I believe in you,_ just a _you have to,_ that kind of settled their resolve. They didn't believe in themselves- they didn't believe in one another. But they had to do this. So they would.

"They've got crazy powerful guns and we aren't immune to everything." Anthony said, "Keep an eye on your own six, since I highly doubt your partner can do it for you." He finished his cryptic message as Project Ex left the table. Their mission would start the instant they stepped onto the courtyard.

.o0o.

Total panic is what ensued. Nobody could find Shane or Dan, and Troye was hypnotizing anybody who dared to step out onto the courtyard. Hannah was working on breaking down the towers, bending steel to her will.

"Good luck, asshats." She said as a tower collapsed, sending the tower's inhabitants toppling. There were three huge towers armed with machine guns capable of infared searching- which was Bad News. She took rocks and hurled them at the remaining towers, knocking bolts loose. It was really quite satisfying.

.o0o.

Dan was searching for the prisoners. It was what he was supposed to do- and take out anybody who stood in his way. He rounded the corner to a huge team of agents, each armed to the teeth. Luckily for Dan, shadow wasn't something that was tangible.

Until he needed it to be.

The shadow snaked into their helmets and they started suffocating.

 _Too easy_ , Dan smirked. He wondered for a moment what it would be like to one moment be doing your job and the next surrounded by suffocating darkness- then immediately ditched it. He wasn't having an existential crisis in a fucking prison. He reached a room that was marked _Solitary/Correctional_. Lovely.

He picked it with his shadows and the door creaked open.

It was Tyler.

"Who- who's there?" His lisp was even more prominent. His voice was shaking. Dan immediately materialized.

"Hey, man, it's me." Dan smiled reassuringly, undoing the chains. Tyler attempted to stand up and nearly collapsed.

"I got you," Dan soothed, nearly carrying Tyler out. He had a black eye and it looked like his nose had been bleeding. A lot.

"Troye's out there, he's fine," Dan said. Tyler seemed to breathe easier. The whole time, he could only see Connor's broken body, his snapped neck and glazed eyes, and he couldn't help but see Troye laying right next to him. They arrived to Troye singing _House of Memories_.

"Baby, we built this house, on memories. Take a picture, now, shake it 'till you see it!" Troye sang the guards to sleep, and whirled around to see the new threat- Dan and Tyler.

"Ty!" Troye gasped at the man's form. He was thin and his cheeks hollow, malnourished beyond imagination.

"I'm here," Tyler clung to Troye's suit, not making a sound. He didn't trust himself to.

"Everything's going to be fine." Troye said, smiling down at the other man. Tyler was safe.

Dan turned back to shadow and was joined by Shane, invisible. Shane could spot Dan's shadow moving along and followed him to the next cell- Ingrid's. Her hair was soaked and her room half-frozen half-filled with some sort of static.

"It us," Dan smiled, unlocking her chains. She didn't even try to stand up, simply slumping forward in to Dan's arms.

"Clear my six." Dan said to Shane, who nodded and disappeared. They only ran across one guard, who didn't even know what hit him when Shane had him in a choke-hold extremely quickly and had him on the ground. Hannah could hold Ingrid up easily, so the two immediately went to clear another cell. This one held Jon.

"Oh my God." Dan gaped at the destruction. Jon's head hung down, almost not moving, as blood dripped steadily from his mouth, joining the already alarming large puddle. A soldier's helmet lay abandoned and the floor was nearly coated in grotesque red.

"Ew. Tic-tac." Shane weakly attempted to joke, lifting Jon up. He was barely breathing- but that was certainly better than not at all. Cecil seemed to have grown attached to the man within seconds of meeting him, and Mark carried Jon bridal-style, merely because Jon couldn't walk.

The fourth cell held Ian. Bullet holes riddled the walls and he seemed to be mostly unharmed, except for a haunted look in his eyes.

"You okay?" Shane asked, Ian being perfectly fine to walk on his own. Ian shrugged.

"I'm cool to walk. Let's go get someone else." Ian said. The last two cells held Joey and Phil. Yeah, I set this up for drama. Not going to deny it.

"Joey?" Shane asked, stepping into the room. The silver-haired (it seemed, now permanently) man raised his head. He was twitching so fast that it almost appeared blurred.

"Sh-ane what d-do you wa-ant?" Joey stuttered, shaking so hard it was impossible to speak clearly.

"I'm here to get you out." Shane said as Dan opened the shackles on Joey. Joey immediately took off, running like lightning.

"Seems he was a bit cooped up," Dan noted. Shane chuckled.

"I want to see him alone," Dan said somberly. Shane nodded, not questioning it, and lead Ian outside, the other man limping.

"Hey, Phil," Dan smiled at the man.

"Get it over with," Phil moaned, lifting his face to reveal horrific bruises and a few cuts on his shoulders and torso that would certainly scar.

"What?" Dan asked.

"They- they said you would kill me. They'd make you kill me." Phil said, a tear slipping down his face.

"I would never. I won't ever. Not again." Dan said, reaching out with the darkness. Phil seemed to flinch for a second, then realized that Dan was unlocking him. Phil smiled and stood up, stumbling. Dan caught him and the two walked out of the building, which was virtually empty.

Except for one man.

"Now, now, boys," The southern American accent rang through the halls. Dan gasped and Phil couldn't do much in the way of processing things quickly, so he just stood there, rather blankly.

"Didn't I tell you to behave?" He purred. Brant stepped out from the shadows.

"You. Monster." Dan spat at him. He was the one who'd killed Connor. He was the one who'd kept them all captive. He was the one who'd tortured half of them.

Dan didn't realized he'd said all of those things until they were out of his mouth- not that he cared.

"Oh, you think those things were my fault?" Brant said, falsely sympathetic, "No, no, all of those things were your fault! You drank the beer, ate the pizza, misbehaved."

"Dan, where's home?" Phil asked drowsily, not quite processing where he was. Dan could feel the situation slipping away, and could think of one thing to do. He hadn't killed anybody- not on purpose- but he would have to make an exception.

"Goodbye, Brant," Dan said, dropping Phil gently to the ground and striking out with tremendous force.

"You sneaky little-" Brant cursed as Troye appeared practically out of nowhere.

"Oh, let me make one thing clear." Troye smirked, "When you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us. And damn, you fucked up with Ben." Brant's eyes widened as Troye began singing.

"Welcome to the end of eras," Troye's singing was entrancing, but Dan's focus on Phil kept him above water, "Ashes melted back to life, done my time and served my sentence, dress me up and watch me die." At the word _die_ , Brant toppled over, gone before he hit the ground.

"Pretty... singing..." Phil slurred, leaning heavily on Dan. Dan felt Phil's forehead to discover that it was burning up.

.o0o.

"Lack of nutrients. He's got an infection." Anthony said immediately after they walked outside. 

"Lou!" Dan yelled. Louise hurried over to find Phil and heal him. Phil started coughing and tears dripped from his eyes, which grew red. After a few minutes, he was weak and shaky, but standing. He was lucid, and turned to bury his face in Dan's chest.

"Missed you." Phil said, gripping Dan tightly.

"You too, you idiot," Dan said back, hugging equally as tightly. They stayed like that for a while. Dan became concerned, however, when Phil began to cough again.

"What?" Louise peered at her hands.

"Perhaps your power works like a battery," Anthony suggested, "Ian recovered in regards to his malnourishment, Ingrid did not."

"Oh no." Louise realized what this meant. In the field, Tyler was walking towards Troye and fell down- he'd been one of the last ones to be healed. Jon slowly thinned out and clutched at his stomach. Ian's eyes became even more clouded- almost as if he'd seen something that no human should see.

And perhaps he had.

.o0o.

The next day, Project Ex started to walk.

"Where do we go?" Became the Question of the Day.

"I know a place." Ben said.

They kept walking, taking turns carrying the weakest until Louise could heal them. Phil was almost in critical condition and Tyler kept limping along, wincing at every step and clutching a rib.

"Tilly," Troye said, kissing his cheek, "You're doing such a good job."

"I can't keep this up," Tyler groaned, laughing at his own pathetic-ness.

"Hannah could carry you-"

"No." Tyler immediately shut that idea down, "There are other people who need it more."

"Like who?" Troye questioned.

"Jon." Tyler pointed out, as the man could hardly move on his own and was the one currently being carried by Hannah. After the night, Louise had been able to cure Ingrid's famine, but nothing else.

"I don't think I can survive another night," Tyler admitted. In Hannah's arms- and it would have been a hilarious sight given different circumstances- Jon coughed and shivered in the desert heat.

"He's not doing so good either," Hannah noted. Cecil the Lizard nudged Jon, trying to get his friend to move. Mark picked up the lizard and set him on his shoulder, Cecil curling up for a nap in the sun. Sometimes, animals would sort of stop by, as if visiting an old friend, and deposit water bottles or food, from where nobody dared to ask.

But hey, it was good.

"So is he the mascot?" Phil asked, beginning to hack. A bit of blood flew out of his mouth and Dan became worried.

"Yeah, Phil," Dan said. Phil wasn't going to last the night either. Nobody could afford to lose anybody, and they might just lose everybody.

"It's just us," Ben said, after a few hours of deathly silence, "Us against the world."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry for the late update! I went to Arkansas and it was amazing. I think that's where they'll go after they escape- because I don't think that's a spoiler at this point.


	10. Oh Ms Believer

It wasn't long until they found a train they could rest up on.

"Sing pretty," Phil murmured, leaning against Dan's side. Troye took the opportunity to sing, making sure nobody would check their car for stowaways.

"Oh, Ms. Believer, my pretty sleeper, your twisted mind, is like snow, on the road. Your shaking shoulders, prove that it's colder, inside your head, than a winter of dead. I will tell you, that I- I love you, but the muffs on your ears, cater your fears. My nose and feet are, running as we start, to travel through snow, together we go. We get colder, as we get older. We will walk, slower. Oh, Ms. Believer, my pretty weeper, your twisted thoughts, are like snow, on the rooftops. Please, take my hand, we're in foreign lands. We travel through snow, together we go!" Troye finished as Tyler nodded off to sleep, along with basically everyone else. The atmosphere in the train car was exhausted and relaxed. Tyler laid his head on Troye's shoulder, and Troye rested his head on Tyler's. Phil had laid his head down in Dan's lap, and Dan was carding his fingers through his hair and peering down at Phil's sleeping form. Joey and Shane were relaxing on each other, and Ingrid was using Hannah as a pillow. Louise and Ben were sitting close, although Louise looked almost mothering of him (after all, she missed her daughter a lot). Ian and Anthony were sitting on the hay bales in the back of the car and playing Slap with a deck of cards they found.

.o0o.

The car's doors were open, and everyone who was awake could see the endless desert- which eventually ended. It was replaced by rolling farmland and trees. The stars were still out.

"Look- it's the sunrise." Troye said excitedly. His face was illuminated by the golden light and even though it was only a few people, they all knew this moment was important- the first time in a long time that they'd seen the sunlight.

"We're free," The realization seemed to hit everyone who was awake at the same time; but Dan was the one to mention it out loud.

"We're as free as we tell ourselves we are." Ben agreed, letting the sunlight warm his face.

"Where's this train heading, anyway?" Tyler asked sleepily, startling Troye a bit.

"Mountain View, Arkansas. Should arrive in a few days." Anthony said from the hay bales.

"Great. More days without food." Dan huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Hush up." Mark shot back, "We'll be there soon enough."

"I think I've got a right to complain." Dan replied, "We did just spend almost a year in a prison. We didn't do anything wrong, either."

"He's got a point," Jon began to stir. He and Mark had sat in one corner, leaning on one another for comfort. The conversation lulled and everyone just listened to the rattle of the train tracks.

"Don't you dare start singing again, my head hurts," Jon said drowsily when Troye opened his mouth. Everyone had seemingly forgotten about Jon, Tyler, and Phil, who were all doing just about as well as they had on the walk in the desert.

"Lou, how's your power doing?" Dan asked, glancing down at Phil in concern.

"I'll be able to heal one of them at the most." Louise replied, "So, I guess the question here is; who's first?"

"Jon." Mark said, "He's the easiest to heal, anyway. Afterwards, you'll have to recover less before you can heal Tyler and Phil."

"Right. That makes a lot of sense, actually." Dan said. Phil had begun to shiver, so Dan drew him in closer.

"Okay." Louise moved over to Jon and pressed her hands to his shoulders. He began to stir and jolted up, suddenly looking very energized.

"And I'm back!" He said, eyes wide. He blinked a few times and stretched out, yawning.

"And I'm out!" He said after a few seconds, closing his eyes and attempting to sleep again.

"That took a lot out of me." Louise commented, also going back to sleep. The air was thick with... whatever tension was there. It was like they expected something to happen.

Nothing did.

"I'm hungry," Mark noted after a long silence. Ah, there it was. The one hole in their little plan.

"We can't exactly stop the train." Dan said dryly.

"The next stop should be in about fifteen minutes," Anthony said, "From there, Joey could run and get us food."

"That's all well and good, but who's going to stop people when they check out cars?" Mark pointed out.

"I'll handle it," Ian rolled his eyes. He seemed to be better- perhaps he'd healed. Perhaps that's what they all needed to heal- time. Time to think in a space where there was only the metal of the train car, the open doors, the hay bales in the back, a deck of cards, and each other.

"Dan, how many existential crises have you had since we've gotten on this train?" Troye asked, smirking.

"You don't want to know," Dan said, gazing out into the distance as the train slowed to a stop. Phil smirked against Dan's shoulder, although faintly. He was worryingly pale, and his arm was burning up. Dan kissed his hair and hoped for something good to happen. It was torturous to feel helpless.

"I'll be fine," Phil rasped, almost as if he could hear Dan's thoughts. Which- and I don't even know if this was the powers thing or just the fact that the two had lived together for six years and counting- wasn't that far from the truth.

"My grandparents have a cabin in Mountain View." Ben said suddenly.

Dan grinned. He could finally see a resting place. Even though they were all exhausted and sleeping most of the time, they had to keep watch. They had to care for Phil and Tyler. They had to try not to kill one another- which was harder than it sounded. They were still on the run, even in a train car headed for Small Town, Nowhere.

"I wonder what's happened since we've left." Jon said after another silence. The train was slowing down a bit, pulling in.

"Well, maybe it won't be too long until we find out." Mark said, shrugging. He and Jon, once Jon had actually healed, played Egyptian Rat Screw with Ian and Anthony. They played a lot of card games. That's what they did- the four of them played games, Troye sang, Dan fretted over Phil. Everyone else was either keeping watch, sleeping, or going to the bathroom. Which was very uncomfortable, considering the fact that they were on a train.

"Joey. We're here." Shane nudged the sleeping man with his elbow. Joey groaned and stood up to stretch, taking off into the twilight after that.

.o0o.

"You will ignore us and tell nobody of our existence." Ian said to the conductor, who nodded and finished his rounds.

"Bro. That is so cool." Anthony grinned from a hay bale. He and the others had taken a break from cards and were all laying in the hay, which was slightly less uncomfortable than laying on the cold, hard, train car. Joey was almost worryingly overdue to return with food.

Just as the train began to move, a blur of silvery-blue light fled along the length of the train and into the car that held it's friends.

"Who wants McDonalds?" Joey panted, setting down his satchel, which was given to him along with his suit. It was overloaded with burgers and fries. Joey was also carrying three trays with large waters in all four holders. It smelled like heaven.

And really, compared to the treatment they'd been receiving, it was.

Freedom is certainly understated. It's glorious to be responsible for ones own actions.

"Eat up. I ate and drank there." Joey grinned, setting the food down. Everyone silently agreed that Phil and Tyler would be the first ones to be fed and watered, although they didn't eat or drink much.

"Lou, how's your power?" Dan asked. Louise said a quick, "Not quite. Maybe after I eat." and devoured two burgers and half a water before passing the other half to Ben. Louise had been treating the younger man more and more like her son every day.

"Actually, I feel a lot better." Louise said, approaching Phil, who really needed to eat. She healed him, his eyes growing more red and his coughing intensifying before he became better and his arm healed up.

"Dan," Phil sighed once he was completely lucid again, burying his face in Dan's hair. It was adorable- or, rather, as adorable as one can be on a train car surrounded by emaciated and dehydrated people and McDonald's wrappers, wearing dirty clothes that should really have been washed by now.

"So glad you're back," Dan said in return, bringing the two into a hug. They embraced for a long, long time. After all, they weren't hungry anymore, and there really was nobody else's company they needed.

Please excuse the fact that Troye was jealous as hell.

Louise fell asleep soon after that, exhausted from using her powers on so little food (it was really energy consuming, which was worrying. What if her power was limited, like a battery?).

Ian, Anthony, Mark, and Jon were back to playing Egyptian Rat Fuck, joined this time by Ben. So that's how they spent the next three days, Dan and Phil were always touching, the five- and occasionally Louise- playing Egyptian Rat Fuck and various other card games, Hannah and Ingrid not doing much but talking about what they'd do once they got to Mountain View. Tyler slept at Troye's side, and Troye waited not-so-patiently for Louise to regain her energy and _just heal him already_. Shane and Joey didn't really want to join on in the conversation, and both just talked. It had been a long time since they'd done that, and it felt nice to rekindle an old friendship.

"I'm ready." Louise said, after one night of rest. Tyler soon joined the fray, using his time as a poor kid with years of poker experience under his belt to become the best Golf player ever (Golf the card game). Troye was content just to watch.

And that's when they realized.

_Everyone still thought they were dead._


	11. Johnny Boy

The train did, indeed, stop in Mountain View, Arkansas. Unluckily for everyone, it was in broad daylight.

"Shit." Tyler cursed. He transformed into someone who looked completely different. Dan turned into a shadow. Shane disappeared.

"We'll just have to hope nobody can see us." Ben said, hopping off on the opposite side of the train so that instead of facing the station, they were facing a forest.

"Anthony," Ben said in a whisper-y voice.

"This way," Anthony said surely, "We're going to the Folk Center, right?"

"Not gonna question how you know where that is, but yeah. Their cabin is close to there." Ben nodded. Anthony lead them down winding foresty routes and across rocks the size of people and fields of tall grass. Mark put Cecil on his shoulder to bask in the sunlight. There was a happiness that made the group keep going, a determination to get to where they wanted to be. The scenery was gorgeous, if it was anything to go by. The woods were dappled with light and there were clear rivers with cold water that they trusted enough to drink from. The meadows were warm and sunny, with does and fawns prancing around in the spring air. The fields were golden in the sunlight and the rocks gray and constant. Everyone was too scared of discovery to talk.

"How do you know they won't be there?" Mark asked Ben curiously in regards to the cabin.

"I don't." Ben replied grimly. He didn't know what he'd do if they were there.

.o0o.

A gravel road that went on for a mile was the last hurdle to the cabin.

Well, cabin was a bit of an understatement. It was more of a big house, with guest rooms and a pool and manicured gardens and a huge, wraparound porch and a closet with all sorts of instruments.

"Think there's internet in there?" Troye asked hopefully. Dan and Phil were, as usual, pressed closely together. Joey ran ahead and back in two seconds.

"Nobody's home." He said happily.

"Okay, Anthony, one more thing," Ben said, "I'll need you to crack the security code."

"Should be easy." Anthony shrugged. And, sure enough, it was. Some science mumbo-jumbo about the oils in our skin and birthdays and whatever later and everyone was inside and enjoying the air conditioning.

.o0o.

Troye was the first to discover the Instrument Closet.

"Jon!" Troye yelled. The other musician popped his head around the corner.

"Yeah?" Jon asked.

"Instruments..." Troye sounded like he was going to drool. Or cry. Or both.

"Oh my lord." Jon said, gaping at the walk-in closet. It contained a banjo, ukulele, string bass, violin, mandolin, an accordion, and two different kinds of dulcimers.

"I love it." Jon said, "I'm just gonna stay here for a while, if that's alright with everyone."

There was Internet, which eventually drew them away.

"Um, guys?" Dan said, voice sounding like he was about to break some horrible news. He was sat at the computer and staring at something on the screen.

"What?" Everyone replied in unison.

"It's not 2013." Dan gulped, "We've been in that prison for three years."

.o0o.

After the initial panic of _Oh my God that's three years of my life thrown away_ , Phil pointed something else out.

"That means we've been 'dead' for that long."

Was this better or worse?

.o0o.

The phandom had not shrunk. If anything, it had grown in size with the "Mysterious Disappearances of 14 YouTubers" being the title of so many articles three years ago. So many things had happened in the three years. Gay marriage was legalized in so many places, including all of the US, and the Orlando massacre had happened. Christina Grimme was dead, and with that news, Shane had to leave the room for a while. Joey followed, as did Hannah and Tyler and Dan. They wanted to comfort their friend.

"I'm twenty-one." Troye said suddenly, "I just turned twenty-one, and my parents think I'm dead."

"And they'll keep believing that. They can't know. Ever." Anthony said dangerously.

"We're in hiding." Troye's voice was watery, "We're not dead. My EP was released. I want to release something else."

"How?" Anthony raised an eyebrow at Troye.

"I... don't know! I just have to make sure people know I'm not dead!" Troye huffed in frustration and walked into a guest room, flopping down on the bed.

"Hey, I'm getting everyone's clothing sized so I can run out and get some stuff." Joey said, poking his head into the door. Troye gave him his sizes and Joey wrote them down.

"K bye." Joey said quickly, zooming out of the room. Troye sighed and laid back down on the bed. He stayed like that until it was dark outside and Tyler wandered into the room.

"G'night, Tilly." Troye grinned, pecking Tyler on the forehead.

"'Night, Troye." Tyler nearly groaned at Troye's cheesiness, letting his thoughts drift away as he laid his head down on the pillow.

.o0o.

There were five rooms and one of them had bunk beds. It was between Smosh and Mark and Jon who got the room with the bunk beds, and they did rock, paper, scissors to see who got it (Smosh won). Mark volunteered to sleep on a couch and Jon on the floor instead. Dan and Phil shared a room, as did Tyler and Troye. Hannah and Ingrid, of course, shared one as well. Ben knew that the closets had some cots in them, and so he and Louise got two. Shane and Joey decided that it wouldn't be too torturous to share a bed (especially since it was king-sized).

Everything was peaceful as everyone drifted off, the only one with some pent-up energy left being Joey, who was running (literally) to go get them actual clothes.

.o0o.

Everything was peaceful, that is, until Tyler woke up screaming bloody murder.

"Shhh," Troye brought Tyler into a hug.

"Black clouds are behind me, I now can see ahead." Troye sang softly. Tyler's screams had turned into sobs, which lessened when Troye sang.

"Often I wondered why I tried, hoping for an end. Sorrow weighs my shoulders down, and pain is in my heart. But I know the present will not last, and tomorrow will be kinder." Tyler stopped making any noise and just hiccupped into Troye's shoulder.

"What'd you dream about, Ty?" Troye questioned.

"S-solitary." Tyler stuttered, lisp making its way into every syllable.

"Oh. What'd they do?" Troye didn't want to pry, but... maybe it'd be good for him to talk about it.

"Pain." The single word broke Troye's heart. Well, it broke him to think that such a happy-go-lucky person could be reduced to screaming for help and crying at... what time was it... four in the morning?

"I'm sorry." Troye didn't probe any further. He didn't want to, it wouldn't help Tyler, he didn't want to be even more heartbroken over what had happened.

"Nothing's going to be the same ever again." Tyler said.

"Nope. And it seems there's no getting our old lives back, either." Troye sighed, "I'll never get my second album out."

A creak signified a certain Louise poking her head into the room.

"You okay?" She asked softly. Troye nodded, still rocking Tyler back and forth a bit and rubbing circles into his back. Tyler let himself be soothed. He was safe. He wasn't going back there ever again. In fact, just the thought of being pent up in a single room for that long made his head spin.

"We all went through a horrible trauma," Louise said, using what Troye dubbed her 'soothing mom' voice, "We can't have expected to come out of it unscathed, physically or mentally."

"That's right. And you're doing so well." Troye smiled, kissing Tyler's forehead, "Do you think you can go back to sleep?"

"Yeah." Tyler sighed.

"I remember tears streaming down your face, when I said I'd never let you go. When all those shadows almost killed your light." Troye sang Tyler to sleep and Louise closed the door softly behind her as she left to try to get some more sleep too.

"I remember you said; don't leave me here alone." Troye sang the rest of the song out loud.

_With all that's dead and gone and past, tonight._

_Just close you eyes,_  
_The sun is going down,_  
_You'll be alright,_  
_No-one can hurt you now,_  
_Come morning light,_  
_You and I'll be safe,_  
_And,_  
_Sound._

_Don't you dare look out your window,_  
_Darling, everything's on fire._  
_The war outside our door keeps raging on._  
_Hold on, to this, lullaby._

_Even when music's gone._

_Just close your eyes,_  
_The sun is going down,_  
_You'll be alright,_  
_No-one can hurt you now,_  
_Come morning light,_  
_You and I'll be safe,_  
_And,_  
_Sound._

Troye sure hoped that they'd never be found out. He had already lost Connor, there was no way in hell he was losing this one too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That wasn't foreshadowing I promised someone I wouldn't kill anyone else off so I'm just gonna milk Connor's death for all it's worth.
> 
> On a related note, I'm going to band camp tomorrow (yay!) so that means no more fanfic :(. BUT I WILL UPDATE ONCE I GET BACK.


	12. AHAHAHA I'M SO SORRY THIS IS SO LATE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh. would you look at that. cat's not dead. huh. who'd've guessed. i thought they were trapped in Band Camp this whole time. Seriously though, guys, I'm super-duper sorry for not uploading all this time. I think I'm finally going to wrap this up, move on to something different.

The air wasn't quite right. It set the hairs on the back of Dan's neck on end-- which wasn't something that usually happened. Usually, the forest was a place where Dan could relax, let go, be alone on the rare occasion when Phil's company grew to be too much.

Then he figured out why-- out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move. A person.

"Who's there?!" Dan asked, drawing darkness to his fingertips with a professional ease that was almost terrifying.

"Someone you forgot." Came the reply. Dan's jaw dropped when Connor stepped out of the trees.

"We-- you-- you were dead!" Dan said, voice close to a whimper, "You pulled a motherfuckin' Winter Soldier on us... Jesus."

Dan stepped forward, ready to race into Connor's arms, when Connor drew a knife on him.

"You left me for dead, I might as well have been!" Connor snarled.

"We-- your neck was snapped!" Dan said, voice raised an octave.

"Dan, what's going on-- oh my God." Phil stopped dead in his tracks next to Dan, sticking to him like hot glue. "You're alive."

"Damn right, I'm alive," Connor retorted, "And I'm fuckin' pissed."

"Well, Connor, just take a moment and think this through," Dan said cautiously, trying to play peacemaker, "It's one of you versus fourteen of us. You don't stand a chance."

"Maybe _he_ doesn't," Another voice said, low and raspy, "But _he_ doesn't have a hundred men at his beck and call."

General Brant stepped out, grinning from ear to ear.

Dan suddenly felt very outmatched.

"Fuck." Was the only word that could escape his lips before someone fired off a shot. Without thinking twice, as if it were second nature, Dan surrounded himself and Phil in the blackness that acted as a shield.

"Let's go." Dan started moving the shadow along, Snake-Style.

"We have to get there before everyone else," Phil hissed, "Hurry up."

"Right," Dan said, "How about... we both fire into the crowd, and while they're distracted, you run. As soon as you've been gone for five minutes, I'll take cover."

"Can I trust you?" Phil said, stopping and grabbing Dan's face to look him in the eye, "I don't want you getting hurt."

"I love you too, Phil, now kiss me before we both do something heroic and incredibly stupid," Dan replied. Phil's lips were against Dan's, then, soft and warm and tasting of the sugar in their coffee.

"Goodbye," Phil said softly. Dan nodded, dropping the shield.

"On your knees," Phil commanded. Dan dropped down and Phil sent out a circle of light, knocking several soldiers off their feet. Dan finished them off, down low, as a shadow.

"Run!" Dan yelled. Phil did as he was told, holding up light as a shield.

"Think you can protect your _boyfriend_ for long?" Brant sneered. In response, Dan shot his face with shadow.

"This time, I'll make _sure_ you're dead," Dan promised. He thought he could see a flicker of fear in Brant's eye.

"In any case, my secret little weapon will _destroy_ your group of freaks," Brant said, voice choking on shadow, "It's over."

"It's not over until I say it is," Dan hissed, almost sadistic and almost proud of himself. He could see real fear in Brant's eyes as Dan pressed him to a tree, drawing a sword made of shadow.

"And I think it's our turn to teach you a little something," Dan said quietly, slitting Brant's throat. The man chuckled, though, as he bled out.

"Turn around," He snickered, and Dan did so just before a bullet hit his abdomen.

Dan dropped to the ground.

.o0o.

Whoever said that getting shot didn't hurt because of shock was _wrong_.

Dan was in so much pain.

Waves of it radiated out from his stomach, where the bullet had pierced his abdomen. He screamed into the ground.

"Dan?" It was Troye, "Dan! Oh, Dan."

"Leave," Dan rasped, "Leave. Take Tyler. Whatever you do, don't stick around. You aren't going to like it--"

"Dan, you're not making any sense," Troye said, face screwed up in concern, "Hang on, let me take care of that pain for you."

And Troye began to work his magic, singing until the red-hot feeling that rattled Dan to his core drained from his body.

"Thank you," Dan said, standing up, "There's something you should know."

"I know Connor's alive," Troye said softly, "Where do you think Tyler is? He tried to talk to him, got a stomach full of knife."

Dan's heart broke.

"I'm so sorry--" _That I couldn't be there to warn you, that Phil was the only one to help you--_

"Do you happen to know where Phil is?" Troye asked, "He hasn't showed up."

"No," Dan's face drained of color, "That can't be right."

"Oh."

There was a pause.

"We need to find him," Dan said, clutching a hand to his stomach as he set off, the pain rocketing back through his body.

"Sorry, short-term spell-thing." Troye slipped his arm under Dan's shoulder and held him up, "And you need to get back to HQ. Louise'll heal you right up."

"But I need to find Phil," Dan said, trying to slip away from Troye.

"No, you need to heal before you bleed to death," Troye chided.

"Fine," Dan relented, "But you have to tell me what happened."

"Okay," Troye said, "They converged on us, taking us by surprise. Instantly, Louise was doing her thing, taking energy from wherever she could get it and giving it to us. Ben managed to get his hands on a dagger, and _oh boy_ is he dangerous with one of those things. Everybody pretty much did their own thing, and we managed to defeat them. Then, like a godsend, Connor appeared. Tyler raced towards him, and Connor flipped the fuck out, taking a knife and slashing open Tyler's stomach. Then the second wave hit. We were outmatched by a long-shot, and then another miracle happened. A blinding wave of light appeared outside the cabin, killing everybody who wasn't inside."

"Phil," Dan said proudly, "Phil did that."

There was another pause.

"That means he's by the house, right?"

"I would hope so," Troye said, "Louise managed to subdue Connor, and he'd been restrained using some of the cuffs we found."

"He thinks we left him behind on purpose," Dan said, "It's heartbreaking."

"Wow," Troye returned, awestruck, "I hope he knows otherwise."

Unfortunately, he didn't. Both men knew that as they searched for the third, who they found lying unconscious near the front porch.

"Okay," Troye huffed, "I can't carry both of you--"

"I've got 'im." Shane appeared, lifting Phil up in a fireman's carry. They returned inside, and Dan looked around at the carnage.

Tables were overturned, there was blood in places where blood decidedly should not be, there were bodies everywhere. Louise looked so tired, running around and trying to heal everyone.

But Dan knew it would get better-- they'd have to have a happy ending, right?

.o0o.

Some of them got better. They had to bury too many people-- Ian and Anthony and Ingrid and Hannah.

Connor woke up screaming, begging them not to hurt him.

"Why would we do that?" Tyler asked, crouched in front of him. His abdomen was bandaged, and he still couldn't walk very far very often.

"Because I hurt you," Connor whimpered, "Because you don't like me."

"Don't like you?" Tyler replied, voice soft, "Connor, we love you. Don't forget that."

"I _killed_ people!" Connor screeched.

"So have I," Tyler said sadly, "And I regret it, I do. But you're the victim here."

There was silence, and the room was tense.

"Can I let you go without you attacking me?" Tyler asked. Connor glanced down at Tyler's abdomen, fear in his eyes.

"Sorry," Connor said.

"That didn't answer my question," Tyler frowned.

"Yes," Connor answered, "You can let me go."

"Okay," Tyler said, nodding. Dan snapped his fingers and the shackles fell from Connor's wrist.

"Hug?" Tyler asked. Connor flinched away and shook his head. Tyler's mouth formed a surprised 'oh'.

.o0o.

The first person they contacted was Sean. And he thought he was insane, until he decided that he would fly out to see them.

"'course I would! I'm not _evil_!" Jack said, astonished, "I'm buying the tickets right now."

.o0o.

Mark's heart was about to escape his chest. They'd given Jack the address of the cabin, and he'd said that he'd landed and was on his way.

"Mate, stop pacing." Dan rolled his eyes. He and Phil were just as they'd always been, too close and yet, perfectly natural.

"Shut up," Mark growled, fidgeting with a pen. His head perked up comically at the same moment as the rest of the animals in the cabin (Mark's Disney Princess tendencies were not limited to desert creatures, it seemed).

"He's here," Mark said, and before Dan could blink, he was out the door.

Mark raced down the gravel driveway, far longer than he'd expected, his lungs protesting the whole time. He saw the familiar blue eyes of his old friend, and he raced into Jack's arms.

"Your hair's green now," Mark breathed.

"No shite," Jack replied, gripping Mark back just as hard. They clung to each other desperately.

"You're never leaving again," Mark said, "Ever."

Jack laughed into Mark's shoulder. The sun cast the shadows of the trees over them.

In that moment, nothing existed except the two of them. Nothing except the sound of their heartbeats and the heat of the dying sun.

They could've stayed there forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it a cheap shot at tension? Yes. Do I care? No. Thank you and goodnight.


End file.
